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Orn te ate a teat ou ies PST artic eek Br tr Ocoee Pe cee Pe PO 1 Ve oe Serer Se Mid sane eaty neta eat beri ah flatter hath (balk 4p 0 Oe TO ee ae CeCe Ce a Covacee ces Bree ret at) mh ' eb et CLs Metre rer Mace Sure Or ae CC Cae koe ny Pore eo veloute oh enn tect Corea en ae wa ern rei ce ene er rein ae ere eae oe OH Tagntela tS sar wae Vvorhreds BP Wks Wok a lheas Wow get fam top a2 SAL stk, dgatyt aft eK MUA Psp smtyse Vena ed Cea vk thea o Mute bgt letb ale ' er Oca ee Cn Ce CERRY AS Lien En eT EO PNP EL WET? ' wy Be rate he CU a to ERT Te et tat) Ge een riiggiat acauber pepe & bes rar) TU ea gee ke dade © Cobtipeardiactied ou Wor sik wt ive i 4 ene) Tye Gan Wed Ae ee MW pth dey eeuemedinbelb cased iy fw ue fyetisrercct} ‘ i at raven rear | iy4n Bo I em aie ge sn tate sae monn aap wed cprae recat Mir a Pere) ee Se os Ape a ae kbe Ce ere er 1 be Swale) hi wen hak a deh CE ec oo Pe eee oe ror’ Wha a edie Beep ye eras fe He sbrawnse srt 1 band ‘ 5 WM RA Cob dytet ier acne Lams boyd Vita y nee at wide | aS | we Wecrerin arent a. ere pire er ke tr fir ry “wegen ‘ LA\\ WW 2 Wi) PPP RNA My \ ITS DEPENDENCIES 2s iy hy gee et ot —\\, EDITED BY ALLAN HUME —_o > a f\ vwe Sp xg o0\N px AS wae ‘e eo) (AS 2s bs Ss SCARS | Ny c ( : 1906 &) tions WA y A N 5: CALCUTTA: PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY A. ACTON, AT THE CALCUTTA CENTRAL PRESS, 5, COUNCIL HOUSE STREET. CONTENTS OF VOL VII. 1878. ——-0030{00——— Nos. 1 & 2.—August. REMARKS ON THE Genus SUYA — eve THE GENUS PoRPHYRIO AND IT§ SPECIES, by J 'D. G. Elliot, E.R.S.E., &e. ae AFTER THE " ADJUTANTS, by C. T. Bingham vee A SECOND List OF THE Braps or SOUTHERN TRAVANCORE .. Notes on THE NIDIFICATION OF SOME BURMESE Bizps, II.... Tue Birps oF A DrovucHtT See eee A Conrrreurion 10 THE AVIFAUNA OF THE slit by Messrs. Davidson, C.S., and Wenden, C.E. eve A Lake IN OopEYPORE ose ee Witp Swans rn Sinn, by W. T. Blanfora Sed ae Furraer Nores on tHe Swans oF [npra iss Fourtuer Appirions to THE SinpH AviFauNa, by J. A. Murray, with note by Tar Epiror ose ue Nores on Nomencraturs, III. _... dis ON AN OVERLOOKED SPECIES OF REa@uLOtDES, by W. Edwin Brooks, C.E., with note by Tur Epiror sce wee OxsERVATIONS ON MoTActLLA ALBA, Linn., AND OTHER WaG- Taits, by W. Edwin Brooks, C. E. Bie ca NoveLTIEs ?— Garrulax subcerulatus, Sp. ov. ove Tole terricolor, Sp. Nov. ... sve ats Rallina telmatophila, Sp. Nov. 200 Be RECENTLY-DESCRIBED SPECIES, Re-publications— Turdinus nagaensis, G.-Aust. eee 200 Staphidea plumbeiceps, G..Aust. — ave eve Scops minutus, W. V. Legge. vee coe Abrornis flavogularis, G.-Aust. Batrachostomus javensis, Horsfield apud G.-Aust. NotEes— The correct name of the pea is Graculus ere- mita, Lin. ... one aoe A Merganser shot near Ajmere eee eee Lobipes hyperboreus, from the Soolianpur ae Works Myiophoneus horsfieldi, breeding at Poorbunder® in Kattiawar eco eco ccc ooo * But see also p. 467. il Emberiza huttoni must stand as E. buchanani, Blyth. as aes eee resus wtoe Baza ceylonensis, Legge, from the Wynaad 151 Actinodura khasiana, God.-Aust., not specifically distinct from A. egertoni, Gould. 153 Layardia rubiginosa, God.-Aust., ‘identical with Pyctorhis longirostris, Hodgs. eee 2b. Trochalopteron rufogulare, Gould, entree variable in plumage ... 155 Indian Jungle and Rock Bush Quails : ; Veter differ- ences and correct scientific names ave nee) tele Diagnosis of the Indian Pteroclide ... aso, 7, LOD Jerdon in error in guoting Philipps as an authority for the occurrence of Scelostrix candida near Hodal === 162 The Indian Blossom- breasted Paroquet ‘to stand as P. fasciatus, P. DZ. S. Mull. wee «ae. 163 David and Oustalet’s Birds of China.. 164 Differences between Gyps indicus, Scop., and G. pallescens, Hume con oo a0 eS Aquila nevioides, and A. vindhiana ... 166 Anorhinus austeni, Jerd., probably a good and ve tinct species coe §=«.: 167 Halcyon chloris, from the Rutnagherry district about 75 miles of S of Bombay eels 168 Caprimulgus tamaricis, Tristram, identical with C. asiaticus, Lath. oe 169 Additional specimens of Arachnothera simillima, Hume. si 5c eee ven gia Lerrers To tHE EpitoR— On the colour of the wrides in the two sexes of Otogyps calvus—J. H. Gurney ... see, egos On the occurrence of Ardetta cinnamomea, near Ajmere—O. Sr. JoHN ... ove laa Albino’s of Turtur risorius—E. A. Butter eee 10. Nidification of Harpactes fasciatus—F. Bourpitton 172 Cypselus batassiensis, breeding on the fronds of — the Areca Palm—J.Davipson_... won oeus Nos. 8, 4 & 5.—December. My rast Norres on tHe Avirauna oF Sinp, by Rapin E. A. Butler, H. M.’s 83rd Regt. 173 From THE GANGES TO THE GODAVERI, by V. Ball, M.A, F.G.S., &e., &e. eae eve ese 191 Forrer NOTES ON REGULOIDES SUPERCILIOSUS AND HUMI, by W. EK. Brooks, Cc, E. coe eve eve 236 il Page. First Ligr oF THE Breps oF FurREEeDpoRe, Eastern Ben- GaL, by J. R. Cripps... “rc ove ee Zao NovELTIES— Asio butleri, Sp. Nov. ... ae ve «= LG RECENTLY-DESCEIBED Species, Re-publications.— Trichastoma leucoproctum, Tweed wee ars ills) Chrysococcyx limborgi, Tweed see we «319 Prinia poliocephala, A. Anderson eee 2b. DEscRIPTIONS OF BIRDS OCCURRING IN INDIA, BUT Nor DESCRIBED IN JERDON OB HITHERTO IN “Stray FeatHers” 320 Nores— . Rallina telmatophila is probably identical with Lyton’s R. superciliaris 451 Tole terricolor may possibly, though ‘not probably, =I. cinerea 2b. Orthotomus maculicollis, oe at Singapore soo || GE Zosterops auriventer to stand as J. lateralis, Tem., and be included in the Indian List ... aD. . Ceylon Spur Fowl to stand as Galloperdix bicalcaratus 453 Abnormal specimen of Demiegretta gularis ab. Seebohm asserts identity of Phylloscopus presbytis and P. viridipennis ; latter name stands ib. Seebohm suggests identity of Phylloscopus plumbei- tarsus and P. viridanus... eee 454, Bucanetes githagineus shot in the Gourgaon Dis- trict S00 ae 20. All the Iora’s pirned im Gourgaon are nigrolutea ab. Female Pratincola insignis from Bust described oe. ib. Pavo muticus, correction ... 455 Occurrence of Anthus pratensis 72 Indin doubtful 4b. Specific name swinhoei, for the Indian representative of Merops quinticolor, must stand .. ae 36. Cyornis mandellii, shot at Muddapore ... 456 Allotrius enobarbus of Dr. Jerdon’s work not this species at all, and includes two other distinct species eee 2b. Porphyrula chloronotus, ‘Blyth, is the young of P. alleni, Phompson _... ab. Henicurus nigrifrons, Hodgs., is the young of H. scouleri, Vigors eee 457 The title Trochalopteron simile must stand Sor ihe grey N.-Western race of T. variegatum ve 26. Melaniparus similarvatus, Salvad., probably a bad species “ae 458 Hodgson’s name Paleornis nipalensis, equals and suspersedes P. sivalensis, Hutton; the eastern form to stand as P. indoburmanicus 1b. Yunx indica, Gould. not Indian ; founded almost certainly on an African SPeEcumen 0», ve = 49 1V Page. Dendrophila frontalis and corallina, zdentical .., 459 Propasser frontalis, Blyth, equals P. thura, Bp. ... 459 Acanthoptila nipalensis, guite distinct from Timalia (Malacocercus) pellotis... ou ae ab. Type of Dumeticola cyanocarpa, missing woe = 6 1. Anthus’ montanus, of Blyth and Jerdon, a very distinet form, but according to one school needs a NEW NAME «- sep eco eee ab. The Hawfinch at Attock ... ane «. 462 Supposed difference between Turdinus brevicauda- tus of Tenasserun, and T. striatus of Assam... ab. Cape Pigeon, Daption capensis, from the Gulf of Manaar «. a oe «-- 463 Identity of the Indian Turtur cambayensis and the African T. senegalensis... id. According to Mr, Saunders our Pale Herring Guil to stand as . cachinnans ; and the Darker Gull that I have called occidentalis, as Ll. affinis ., 2. Dendrocygna major fo stand as D. fulva aA ab. Hodgson’s Swan really C. bewickii, not C.ferus ... 464 Clangula glaucion from the Indus... see ab. Does Crex pratensis really occur in India ? | Geb Very doubtful that Fringilla montifringilla occurs in India swell: 400 a (0155 Porzana zeylonica, apud Blyth, Jerdon, Jc., to stand as euryzonoides ... see 520 20. Letters TO THE EDITOR— Nidification of aquatic birds—S. Dora ai Nest and Eggs of Myiophoneus horsfieldi, from Purandhur not Poorbander—E. A. Butter ... 467 466 A correction—J. A. MuRRay hae oe ab. Rufous young of Drymoipus inornatus—W. E. Brooxs ... ° ee .. 468 The Chestnut Bittern on the Eastern Narra, &.— S. Dore... ase ove oe = 00 Nidification of Phalacrocorax carbo—S. Dota... ab. Woodcocks zn Belgawm and N. Kanara ; Southern Rufous Woodpecker feeding on larve of ants— — J. S. Larrp ove a we 470 This issue to stand as Nos. 3, 4 and 5 bi ab. No. 6.—March 1879. ‘ A History or tHE Breps oF Crertoy, by Captain W. Vin- cent Legge ; Notice by the Edito Wee we «= AT CERIORNIS BLYTHI, Jerd. Bae se eeu) ie FURTHER OBSERVATIONS ON REGULOIDES SUPERCILIOSUS AND nuMI, &c., by W. Edwin Brooks ie ee 765) Page. GLEANINGS FROM THE CancurTa MARKET 479 OcYcEROS TICKELLI, Blyth 499 INFLUENCE OF RAINFALL ON Disrrrevrrow | ‘OF SPECIEs, (with Map, colored, to show Iso-ombric Regions) 501 Some Nores on Sinpi Birps, by 8. Doig... w. 503 Prenyant’s InpIay ZooLoay ae oc 506 Nores on PHYLLOSCOPUS PLUMBEITARSUS AND P. VIRIDANUS, by W. Edwin Brooks os ove 508 Bigps OCCURRING IN INDIA, NoT DESCRIBED IN JERDON OR HITHERTO IN “ STRAY FEATHERS” 511, 528 NotEs— Cyornis unicolor, distinct from C. cyanopolia 516 Corvus cornix, common.in the eatreme N.-W., Trans-Indus 517 Southern Yellow-naped Woodpecker, “ should stand as Chrysophlegma chlorigaster, Jerd. ab. Lhe Indian Hoopoo, should stand as U. ceylonensis, Reich ace 2b. Doubtful whether Gmelin’s name “melanicterus, should stand for our Crested, Black and Chest- nut Bunting ab. Blyth’s name leucopygialis, ‘to stand for the Malayan Grey-rumped Spine Tail ee «518 Distinctions between Dendrocitta assimilis, sinensis and himalayensis aD ooo eo 8519 Haunts of Pratincola insignis » 2 Hodgson’s name Motacilla alboides, ‘applies io M. hodgsoni, of Gray, and Gould’s name leucopsis, must be applied to the species hitherto called luzonensis ... ab. Blythipicus, he correct “generie name of the Brown and Ruddy Woodpeckers 520 Anthus obscurus, not known to occur in India, though Swinhoe asserted that it did ... 521 The Editors of the Ibis on Mr. Dresser’s and other ornithologists’ sins in Nomenclature e 521 A second specimen of Chaulelasmus angustirostris in the Calcutta Bazaar ... ove ve = 28 LETTERS TO THE Epitor— Goisakius melanolophus in S. Zravancore—Frank W. Bovgrpitton 524 Woodcock at Tanna ; Pintail, Snipe and Bitterns— J. D, Inverariry co «28 The tiwe Western species recorded by “Ur. Murray from Sindh, not to be admitted in eee Indian list without further confirmation—W.T. BLANFORD... 526 Rarity of the Pink-headed Bi oR ie Twee- die o-e 527 InDEX . ‘rags. [ee wiiest tibet ie Gn Rsv tA PREFACE. ———_—» = —___ Since our last number appeared, Indian, and indeed Asiatic, ornithology has sustained a severe loss in the death of the Marquess of Tweeddale, better known under his earlier titles: of courtesy, Lord Walden and Lord A. Hay. With considerable field experience acquired as a collecting naturalist in his earlier years, he combined, in his later ones, a really deep, and thorough acquaintance with ornithological literature, and he was certainly particularly happy in disentang- ling the most confused strings of synonymy. For years it has been expected that (possibly in conjunction with Major Godwin- Austen) he would bring out a revised edition of Dr. Jerdon’s History of the Birds of India, and his lamented and compara- tively early death in depriving us of this hoped-for work has inflicted a most serious, indeed almost irreparable, loss on Indian ornithology. Of the band of British pioneers in Indian ornithology, Blyth, Jerdon, Hodgson, Tickell, Hay, Sykes, Tytler, McClelland, Franklin, Hutton, he was the last in harness, and leaving us has left, we believe, no single man competent to replace him fully in his own special branches of ornithology. In India, again, during the past year we have had to deplore the loss of Mr. A. Anderson, an honest and zealous practical ornithologist. We are but a small body of workers out here, and every such loss makes a sad gap in our ranks. In this 7th Volume we had hoped to include a tentative list of the birds of India, with references to the passages in Jerdon and Stray Fraruers, where each is described or discussed ; but this, although in type, occupiesso much space, and the present volume already so far exceeds its prescribed limits, that we have been compelled to reserve it for the first number of Volume VIII. This will issue immediately, and all our many correspondents, who have been so zealously urging on us this thankless and wearisome task, must kindly forgive the trifling further delay. We started Stray Fraruers under the vain delusion that we were going to write in it when we liked and what we pleased, but as time goes on, we find ourselves completely at the disposal of our kind, but at times somewhat, if we dare say so, exigeant supporters. First, our index did not please, and we had no peace until that was altogether changed; then there was this terrible list, which 2 has been for nearly a month the burden of our lives ; now the latest demand is for “a simple, but accurate; at once popular and scientific sketch of the Osteology of Birds.’’ This, too, will be furnished, fortunately by one far more competent than ourselves, in the next issue, and we hope that we shall hear no more of this. Another point, for since we are airing our grievances it is as well to do it once for all, during the past fourteen months we have received over 200 single specimens with requests to name and return the skins. And such wretched rags for the most part! Do the senders ever reflect on the trouble and expense involved, in making up again and despatching all these wretched little parcels? We are willing to receive, examine and report names by letter, but we distinctly give notice that we will not return bad skins of common birds. Good or rare skins, or specimens of birds like Phylloscopt that are requisite for comparisen, we are ready to take trouble about, but bad specimens of well-marked species, manifestly not worth the postage we intend, in future, to throw away. We do not now refer to collections, but only to single speci- mens. We have named a vast number of specimens during the year in collections of from one to five hundred skins, and these we are always delighted to receive and deal with, since they afford, in the aggregate, most valuable information as to geo- graphical distribution. Moreover, a box containing a couple of hundred skins, and sent therefore by rail or bullock train, in- volves absolutely less trouble in packing, &c., than one small postal parcel, which must be sewn up in wax cloth, and musé have a seal, at every two inches on every seam, &c., &c., and for which the lowest rate of postageis $ annas. Certainly at least 100 of the single skins received during the past year would have been dear at 8 annas for the lot, though it has cost us just 100 times this to return them. Many applications are sent us for Taxidermists ; one of the leading firms in Calcutta has just formally requested us to fur- nish one for a constituent in Assam. We are asked to value collections ; to undertake their transmission to and sale in Europe; to provide a good typical collection of the birds of India, as the writer is thinking of going in for ornithology ; to decide bets as to the name of a bird of which a few feathers, or a sketch, giving circumference round the chest(!) is sent, and so on. From our correspondence one might fancy that the whole European population in India were deeply interested in orni- thology, whereas there are barely fifty who care enough about it to do any veal work and write usefully about it. oo) Now all this correspondence is growing beyond our capacity to deal with, and strangers who henceforth address us on matters not coming within our province, as Editors, must forgive our apparent want of courtesy in not replying. Enough of this grumbling. To each and all in life it falls to take the bitter with the sweet, and we too have our sweets in the constant assistance and generous sympathy and support that we receive from all really interested in ornithology here, and from a yearly growing number in Europe and America. To all these kind friends, we can but inadequately express our gratitude ; but if we say less, we feel all the more; a want of gratitude for all this too-little-merited kindness is not amongst our many shortcomings; we do struggle hard in the midst of many difficulties, and quite overweighted at times with other and more important work, to make this journal useful to those who are its primary supporters, and in every way we endeavour to prove that whatever else we leave undone, we “Still on these werds of the Bard keep a fixed eye, Ingratum si dixeris, omnia dixti.” STRAY FEATHERS. Vol. VII.) AUGUST 1878, [Nos. 1—2. Kemarks ow the Gens Supa. Havine recently had to re-examine the enormous series of Suyas in my museum, I think that a few notes recorded as ' the result of this investigation may prove useful. In the first place, I notice that all the members of this species vary very much in size and linear dimensions, partly according to sex, (the males being very much larger than females) and age, (the young being also notably smaller than adults) and partly according to season, the midwinter birds having most commonly, asin Drymoipus inornatus (S. F., IV., 407, et seq.), longer tails than the midsummer ones. In the second place, all the species have a very distinct breed- ing plumage, in the case of most of them far more distinct than that of the species already alluded to. The Suyas readily divide themselves into two groups—those with the head and back more or less (according to season) conspicuously striated, and those which have these parts unstriated at all seasons. The seasonal variations in the plumage of these little birds has led ‘to a considerable multiplication of species. Turning first to the species with striated heads and backs, of which Suya crinicErA, Hodgs, is the type, (and as I now believe, the only Indian species), it may be useful to clear away afew spurious species. Suya striata of Swinhoe, (Journ. N. Ch. As. Soc., May 1859,) is nothing else but S. crinigera, pur et simple. I have two of the types, 4 male and female, killed at Formosa, in February 1862, and I can match them precisely with Himalayan speci- mens killed-in the same month. The bird killed in March 1856, described by Mr. Swinhoe, Jbis, 1863, 30], is a somewhat more advanced bird than those I have. Swinhoe concludes his remarks, loc cit, as follows :— “* This species has its nearest ally in Suya lepida, Hodgson, of the Himalayas, but is at once distinguishable by its very much larger size.” 2 REMARKS ON THE GENUS SUYA. Now neither his specimens nor the dimensions he gives show his birds to be a bit larger than Suya crinigera, Hodgson, for which I had always thought SS. /epida was a misprint. But thinking over the matter, I do not doubt that Swinhoe had received from Blyth a specimen of SBurnesia lepida, which Blyth at one time called Drymeca, and at a another Suya, and that taking this for Hodgson’s Himalayan species, he naturally enough found his Formosan bird “ very much larger.” Anyhow the Formosan birds are absolutely identical with Himalayan ones. Thespecies is one that varies incredibly in size, (wing from barely, 1°8 to 2°35, or even more), females being, as Swinhoe correctly remarks, much smaller than males, and in coloration ; but both Chinese specimens are matchable to a feather by others in our very large Himalayan and Khasia Hill series. Although I have no specimens to compare, and cannot there- fore “ make assurance doubly sure,” I feel assured that Suya parumstriata, Dav. and Oust., Ois. de la. Chine, 259, 1877, is merely one stage of this same species. Suya fuliginosa, Hodgs. (Gr. Zool. Miscl., 1844, 82, sine descr.; Moore, Cat. B. Mus. HE. 1. C., 326, 1854; descr. orig.) with the black bill is beyond all doubt merely the breeding plumage of crinigera. Lastly, Suya obscura, Hume, (S. F., II., 507, 1874,) is, I now strongly suspect, only one stage of this same protean species. The type, however, (and I have met with no other specimen and cannot remember clearly what the type was like,) belonged to Captain Biddulph, and is now, I believe, in Mr. Sharpe’s custody - in the Byitish Museum, and he can. easily satisfy himself whether my surmise is correct. It may now be well to explain briefly the more striking differ- ences between the breeding and midwinter plumage of erinigera, Non-BREEDING PLUMAGE. Bill.—Brown above; greater part of lower mandible pale yellowish or pinkish horny. Head and upper back.—Rich, more or less rufescent and more or less deep brown, conspicuously striated with _ pale, more or less rufescent fawn or yellowish brown. Quills.—Margined with bright ferruginous (growing duller month by month). Supercilium.—Small, and in- conspicuous, creamy. BREEDING PLUMAGE, Bill.—Entirely black. Head and upper back.—Duller and duskier brown—the pale strie faded to greyish, very much reduced in width, often almost obsolete. Quills.—Margined with a pale faintly rufescent olivaceous. Supercilium,—None. REMARKS ON THE GENUS SUYA. 3 The autumn plumage of the young birds differs a good deal from both these. The striations of the head and back are less defined than in the midwinter plumage; the pale portions being more rufescent and darker coloured, and the lower surface is much tinged, as a rule, with dull yellow, though sometimes, as in the specimen described as parumstriata, this is wanting. No one could be blamed for making three species out of the autumn (September and October), midwinter and midsum- mer plumages of this species; but the examination of a series, including from 10 to 30 killed in each month, proves beyond all doubt that all pertain to the same one species. The plain-backed species are apparently more numerous, and include, so far as I can make out, two pairs of species, one, of which, S. hasiana (God.-Aust., A. and M. N. H., October 1876, —S. F., V., 59,) is the type, of which the prevailing tint of the upper surface is rufescent, and the other, of which S. atrogu- laris (Moore, P. Z. S8., 1854, 77) is the type, in which the prevailing tint of the upper surface is olivaceous, more or less dusky on the head in the breeding plumage. It may be that the other two species, Suya erythropleura, (Wald., J. A. 8. B., Ext. No. 1875, 120.—S. F., V., 58) of the khasiana type, and Suya superciliaris, (Anders., P. Z.8., 1871, 212,—S. F., VI., 350,) of the atrogularis type, are not really distinct. Too few specimens have been obtained of these to enable us to be certain, but for reasons to be explained further on I at present incline to believe that both are distinct repre- sentative species. Both atrogularis and khasiana we know well, having huge series killed at all seasons, and at present it is not unreasonable to suppose that the changes of plumage in the other two species (if these are distinct) will be very similar to those which we can prove to exist in the two which we know fully. In this group the most conspicuous differences between the winter and summer plumages seem to be that, in the winter plumage there is a long conspicuous supercilium, and the throat and breast are white or creamy or buffy, the breast being often feebly marked with very narrow irregular, continually almost obsolete, black strize, while in the breeding plumage there is no supercilium, and the throat and upper breast are pure black. There are many other co-ordinated differences, some of which I shall notice in dealing with the separate species. Atrogularis in full breeding plumage has the upper mandible nearly black, the lower brownish pink; no supercilium; lores blackish dusky ; cbin and throat and upper breast pure black ; a 4 REMARKS ON THE GENUS SUYA. conspicuous whitish mandibular stripe; somewhat olivaceous grey ear-coverts; forehead, crown, occiput, dusky ; back less dusky, and with an olivaceous tinge ; tail feathers narrow and abraded. In non-breeding plumage it has the upper mandible pinkish brown; lower pink; a conspicuous fulvous white supercilium from nostrils; lores olivaceous; chin, throat, and upper breast, pale, rather sordid fulvous, albescent on chin and middle of throat; no mandibular stripe ; pure olive brown ear-coverts ; fore- head, crown, occiput aud back, pure olive brown; tail feathers much broader and not abraded. In intermediate stages, sometimés the cap is shaded with dusky, and the breast feathers (and these only) very narrowly fringed laterally with black. In this stage the bird is so extremely like S. supercilaris, Anderson, that I have felt doubtful of their distinctness; clearly, if not identical, superciliaris is the corresponding intermediate plumage of a closely-affined species ; but there are points of dif- ference which seem to me to point to its being distinct. In superciliaris, the chin and throat are a much cleaner purer creamy than in any specimen of atrogularis that I have seen, (and I have between 50 and 60 before me now). The st percilium is pure white, while in atrogularis it is ap- parently a\ways pale fulvous; and the flanks and sides are clear buff, while in atrogularis they seem to be invariably tinged strongly with olivaceous; and the lores and feathers behind the eye are much darker than in any specimen of atrogularis that has not got the chin and throat black. Suya ” khasiana, a perfectly distinct species, but goes through precisely the same stages of plumage. In the full breeding plumage its bill is darker; it has no super- cilium; its lores are dusky ; chin, throat, and upper breast pure black ; white mandibular stripes similar to those of atrogularis ; ‘very similar ear-coverts, but forehead, crown, and occiput dull rufescent, and back strongly rufescent olive; narrow and abraded tail feathers. In the non-breeding plumage its bill is paler ; it has a conspi- cuous white supercilium ; its lores are white; chin, throat, and upper breast nearly pure white, a little creamy; no mandibular stripes ; clear olivaceous brown ear-coverts; and forehead, crown, and occiput clear rufous, and back only slightly browner; tail feathers much broader and unabraded. This too has an intermediate stage, in which the breast feathers show very narrow black lateral margins, in which the red of the head is somewhat duller, and in which there is a dark spot in front of the eye. REMARKS ON THE GENUS SUYA. 5 Some specimens in these stages are almost undistinguishable on the lower surface from superciliaris, but the sides and flanks are never quite the clear rufous buff of this latter, but have always a certain intermixture of an olive tinge, though less than in atro- gularis; and the lores and feathers immediately behind the eye are never so dark as in superciliaris. The upper surface of course differs toto colo, for whenever and so long as the white superci- lium continues in khasiana, the rich rufous of the cap is as dis- tinct as possible, from the olive shaded with dusky, (or washed with black as Anderson calls it) of superciliaris. It is to some stages of atrogularis that the upper surface of this latter approaches, and so closely, that with the birds held back upper- most by the heads with finger and thumb, so as to hide lores, ear-coverts and supercilia, they cannot possibly be distin- guished. In a word, swperciiiaris in its upper surface is undistinguish- able from one stage of atrogularis; in its lower surface, it is barely separable from one of khasiana. No doubt, supercidiaris will be found in breeding plumage, with black chin and throat, dusky head and no supercilium, and duskier back; and again, in the non-breeding plumage, with cap and back uniform pure olive brown, like atrogu- lavis. In the non-breeding plumage its white supercilium will separate it from this, and in this and the breeding plumage also, I should expect, the clear pure buff of the flanks and sides would suffice to distinguish it. Then we have Suya erythropleura, which I have never seen. The dimensions and the description of the whole upper and the greater part of the lower surface applies admirably to some stages of khasiana ; but in erythropleura, “ flanks, thigh-coverts and under tail-coverts are bright ferruginous.” Now, if these words are correctly applied, this must be a distinct species. In no single specimen (out of more than 50) of khasiana, killed from April to December, can the flanks, by any possibility, be correctly styled “bright ferruginous ;” at brightest they are rufous or fulvous dr, slightly intermingled with olive, (much more so of course in breeding plumage.) With this exception, the description tallies perfectly ; but, as we have already seen, this difference in the color of the flanks is in this little sub- group important. Most probably if erythropleura is distinct, we shall here- after find it in breeding plumage, with no supercilium and with black chin and throat, and we shall meet with specimens of it exhibiting faint blackish striz on the breast, as in corre- sponding stages of atrogularis, khasiana, and (if, as I believe, distinct from the former) swperciliaris. 6 THE GENUS PORPHYRIO AND ITS SPECIE. It is possible that a third type of Swya may exist in S. gange- tica (Jerd., Blyth, Ibis, 1867, 23), of which I quoted the original and only description, S. F., V., 138. This description, however, is so curt and insufficient that the bird referred to may be anything. I have never seen it, and I cannot find any one who has. It is said to be common along the Upper Ganges, whereby one can only understand the Ganges some- where above Allahabad. Now, from Allahabad to where it becomes the Bhagiruttee (i.e, inside the Himalayas), I and many others have most thoroughly explored the banks of the Ganges, and none of us have met with any Suya. Moreover, throughout its course above Allahabad, the Gangesruns through alluvial plains, while Svya is essentially a genus belonging to the hilly country. I suspect Jerdon madea mistake, as he often did (and as any one else might) when writing letters carelessly, without any books to refer to. I find some faded specimens of Drymoica rufescens, nobis, which answer tolerably, so far as the brief description and dimensions go, to Suya gangetica, and he might have got hold of this, and there are several other birds more or less Swya-like in appearance, which he might have met with. Altogether I consider this species a very doubtful one, and the description, as already remarked, is so very brief and vague, that I hardly think the species deserving of retention on our list. A. O. H. The genus Porphprio and its Species. By D. G. Extior, F.R.S.E., &. Tue splendid collection of specimens of this genus in the Paris Museum furnished my materials for the present paper, and I would express to Professor A. Milne Edwards my thanks for the facilities afforded me, and for placing at my entire disposal all the examples of Porphyrio under his charge. The collection is rich, not only in number of specimens, but also fortunately possesses them from the majority of places in which this genus has as yet been known to occur; and I was therefore enabled, by comparing individuals from various and widely-separated locali- ties, to ascertain without difficulty the specific value of different ones from certain islands, which had been described as distinct, and relegate them to their proper position. The species included in this Paper possess many and striking characters that separate them from those of all allied genera. THE GENUS PORPHYRIO AND ITS SPECIES, | A prominent one of these is the bill, which is large, very strong, thick and compressed at the base; the frontal plate or head- shield covers the top of the head, and becomes almost a bony easque. The nostril is placed high up, nearer the culmen than the commissure, at about one-fourth the length of the maxilla from the base, in shape almost round or very slightly oval, open and not surrounded by a membrane. With the birds I have here considered as constituting the genus Porphyrio, some authors have placed the Fulica martinica, Lin, Yulica parva, Bodd., and Porphyrio alleni, Thompson, while others have referred these to Gallinula. Tt does not, however, seem to me that the species just named properly belong to either of these genera, but more naturally constitute a genus by themselves, as their characters are intermediate between Porphyrio and Gallinula. They differ from the first-enamed by having bills of moderate size, curving but slightly at the tip, and expanding at the base into a thin flat rather small plate which covers the forehead chiefly, and is very different in character from the head-shield of the birds given in this memoir. The nostril is longitudinal, situated in the middle of the maxilla and surrounded by a membrane, markedly different from that observed in Porphyrio. The species also are much smaller in size. For these birds the term Porphyrula (altered by Sunde- val* to Porphyriola), proposed by Blytht for hist Porphyrio chloronotus, (nec Vieill.) may be employed. It does not seem to be exactly ascertained what this species is, and the locality whence it came is unknown; but Blyth says it is “ similar to P. alleni, but very much smaller, measuring, wing, 5:25 ; bill to gape, 1°37 ; tarsus, 2 inch; while the type of allenz measures, wing, 6°5 ; bill to gape, 1°25 ; tarsus, 2 inch—a differ- ence apparently confined entirely to the wing, and certainly not sufficient to constitute a distinct species ; and as Blyth seemed to know alleni at that time only from the plate in Gray’s genera of birds, it is not impossible but that he had a specimen of it before him. Bonaparte makes martinica the type of Blyth’s genus, and an examination of the type, if still existing in the ‘Calcutta Museum, will be necessary to decide if he is correct. But it is really of very little moment whether allent or mar- tinica is proved to be the type, as froma comparison made with numerous specimens of both species, I consider that they belong to a genus different from Porphyrio, and one well indicated by Porphyrula. If, however, this last term should * Meth. Nat. Av. Dispon. Tentam. (1872) p, 1381, + Cat, B. Mus. Asiat. Soc., p. 283. { Journ Asiat Soc, Beng, (1849), p. 820, 8 THE GENUS PORPHYRIO AND ITS SPECIES. eventually be ascertained to have been bestowed upon a bird generically distinct from those named above, then Jonornis proposed by Reichenbach (Nat. Syst., p. XXI., 1853), will probably be the one necessary to adopt for them. The genus Porphyrio was instituted by Brisson in his Ornitholo-. gie, with the P. chloronotus, Vieill., as the type. It has received but one synonym, Cesarornis, Reich. The terms Jonornis and Glaucestes, Reich, Hydrionia, Hartl., and Porphyrula, Blyth, which have been given sometimes as synonyms, belong to species with quite different generic characters from those pos- sessed by the members of Porphyrio. I am able to recognise nine species, of which number, the P. celestis, Swinhoe, from Amoy, China, is doubtful, as it is probably the same as P. calvus, Vieill., from one of the islands in the Hastern Archipelago. As the specimen described was living at the time in captivity, and as it isnot known, so far as l am aware, what became of it, the determination of the species from the type will be a rather difficult matter. The birds included in this Paper are of large size, with an attractive plumage, composed mainly of blue and green colours, with bright red bills, legs and feet, and also a large shield covering nearly all the top of the head, of the same brilliant hue. I commence with a brief review of the LITERATURE OF THE GENUS. 1766.—Linneus Systema Nature. In his genus fudica, Linneus includes one species of Porphyrio, F. porphyrio, (= P. chloronotus, Vieild.)— Species, 1. 1774.— Gmelin—Reiss-Russl. Porphyrio veterum first described aoe 1801.—Latham—Index Ornithologicus, Supplement. The Grey-headed Gallinule of the synopsis is here named Gadlinula poliocephala, and another, most probably an imma- ture individual of the same species, Gallinula madagascariensis. This last is however a doubtful determination, as lLatham’s description really an- swers for no species at present known. Species, 1819.— Vieillot—Nouveau Dictionnaire ad’ Histoire Naturelle. In the 28th volume of this publication, the author gives alist of species, which he considers belong to the genus Por- phyrio, As, however, some belong to Species, 2. Oo THE GENUS PORPHYRIO AND ITS SPECIES. other genera, I will merely notice those that are properly included in this paper. The ulica vorphyrio, Linn, is named. Porphyrio chlorynothos (lege chloronotus), P. cyanophalus (lege cyanocephalus) and P. calvus are named for the first time 46. 1820.—Temminck—Manuel @ Ornithologie. In this work three species of this genus are named, none, however, for the first time, viz, P. hyacinthinus (=P. veterum, Gmel.), P. smaragnotus (=P. chloronotus, Vteil/.), and P. melanotus (=P. cyanocephalus, Viewll.) Species, 5. 1821.— Horsfield— Transactions of the Linnean Society. The P. calvus, Vieill., is here renamed P. indicus. 1823.— Vieillot—Encyclopadie Méthodique. A nearly duplicate list of that in the Dictionnaire d’ Histoire Naturelle with the P. cyanophalus changed to P. cyanocephalus. No new species added. 1826-27.—Temminck—Planches Coloriées. In the 68th Livraison of this great work, a list of Porphyrio, as known to the auther, is given, and in this and the 71st Livraison two species are figured. Six species are named in the list, viz., P. hyacinthinus (=P. veterum, Gimel.), P. smaragnotus (=P. chloronotus, Viel. P. pulverulentus, named for the first time; P. albus, possibly a Notornis (Albino), P. melanotus (=P. cyanocephalus, Vieill.) and P. smaragdinus (=P. calvus, Vieull.) de ah Sa 1840. — Gould—Proceedings of the Zoological Society Porphyrio bellus, from Australia, des- cribed Bae sae : 1845.—Gray—Genera of Birds. A list of seventeen so-called species is given in this publication, (several of them marked witha doubt ?), the majority of which do not properly belong to the genus Porphyrio, but Species, 6. of London. Species, 7. 10 THE GENUS PORPHYRIO AND ITS SPECIES. are members of Gallinula, Porphyrula, gc. According to the present writers’ views, but five of the species given can be included in the present genus, viz., LP. veterum, Gmel., P. calvus, Vieill., P. poliocephalus, Lath., P. melanotus, Temm. (=P. cyanoce- phalus, Viedll.), and P. bellus, Gould. No new species are described. 1848.—Peale— United States Haploring Expedition, Zoology. The P. calvus, Vieill., from Upolu, of the Samoan Islands, and from Viti of the Feegee Islands is here named respec- tively P. samcensis and P. vitiensis. 1862.—Schlegel—Muséum des Pays- Bas. The P. poliocephalus, Lath., from India is named P. neglectus, and Latham’s species referred to the P. pulveru- lentus, Tem., to which, however, it has hardly any resemblance. 1868. — Swinhoe—Zbis. A bird observed in captivity at Amoy, China, is described as having a white rump! and is called P. celestis. Species, 8. 1875.—Hartlaub § Finsch.— Ornith. Sudsee-Ins. Palau Gruppe. P. cyanocephalus, Vieill., from these islands is named P. pelewensis. 1876.— Tristram—lLbis. P. calvus, Vieill., from the New Hebrides, — called P. anettewmensis. 1877.—Elliot—Annals and Magazine of Natural History. P. edwardsi—from Cochin-China, described Species, 9. CLASSIFICATION. The species comprising the genus Porphyrio belong to the family LRallide of the order Geranomorphe, and are placed properly near Notornis with the members of which they are closely allied, differing chiefly in having the middle toe longer than the tarsus. They are also connected to the species con- tained in Gallinula by the birds for which the term Porphyrula has been proposed, and which are intermediate in their generic characters. The members of Porphyrio have a narrow sternum, with one lengthened emargination, and a weak fureula. The stomach is muscular, the intestines long, and cceca large; the tongue is thick and fleshy, with a horny tip ; toes long and slender, THE GENUS PORPHYRIO AND ITS SPECIES. 11 enabling the bird to walk readily over the water plants, though the species can swim well and easily ; the large foot is frequently employed to hold the food, very much in the manner of a parrot, while the bird is eating. In the arrange- ment of the species, colour is our only guide, as no one possesses any characters to entitle it even to a sub-generic position, but certain species have a resemblance to each other in the hues of their plumage, as well as in their distribution, which enables them to be associated in apparently natural groups. Five of these are recognizable, the pecularities characterizing each of which will be found in the key. GEOGRAPHICAL DisTRIBUTION. The members of the genus Porphyrio are met with only in five of the Zoogeographical divisions of the globe, viz., the Palearctic, Ethiopian, Oriental, Australian and Pacific re- gions. It is not represented in either North or South America so far as is known. The first of the above-named division possesses but one species, with two more doubtfully recorded, but which are probably merely stragglers from neighbouring regions, or else indivduals that have escaped from confinement. The next has also but one species ; the third, (the stronghold of the genus), has four ; the fourth two, one of which is restricted to it, and the last, also two. Beginning with the Palearctic region, we find that the P. veterum is found in various portions of Southern Europe, such as Portugal, Spain, the Balearic Isles, Sicily and Sardinia. In North Western Africa itis not uncommon, and it breeds in Algeria. Eastward it ranges to the Caspian. The other species recorded from this region are P. chloronotus, (given also by Sykes as P. smaragnotus, Temm., from the Deccan, Oriental region, but which is certainly intended for polio- cephalus, Latham), and the P. c@lestis, Swinhoe, from Amoy, the species founded on an example living in captivity, and which is probably the P. calvus, Vieill., from some island in the Hastern Archipelago. The Hthiopian region has only one representative of the genus so far as known, the P. chloronotus, Vieill., distri- buted generally throughout the Continent, and extending into Madagascar of the Malayan sub-region. The Oriental region possesses the greatest number of species, and in India the P. poliocephalus appears to be almost uni- versally distributed.* In the Indo-Chinese sub-region, the P. edwards, is met with in Cochin China and Siam, and possibly . * Extending throughout Arakan, Pegu and Tenasserim as far south as 16° N. at.—ED. 12 THE GENUS PORPHYRIO AND ITS SPECIES. may hereafter be found in Tenasserim. In a number of the Indo-Malayan Islands, the P. calvus is found, and this species extends its range through the Moluccan and Papuan groups of the Australian region to the islands of the Pacific region, the most eastern of which is the Samoan group. In the Philip- pine Archipelago the P. pulverulentus is found, but the parti- cular island or islands of which it is a native, is not at present known. The Australian region, besides the species in the island groups already mentioned, contains the P. bellus, Gould., abundant in the south-western parts of Australia, while the P. cyanocephalus, Vieill., is universally distributed over the greater part of the Continent and also in Tasmania; and has been obtained in Yule Island, New Guinea. This last-named species is also met with in the Pacific region, being a native of New Zealand, the Chatham Islands and New Caledonia. Grnus PoRPHYRIO. Type. Porphyrio, Briss. Ornith. (1760), Vol. V., p- 522 ae ree ... P. chloronotus, Vieill. Cesarornis, Reich. Nat. Syst. Vogel., p. xxI. (1852). ... ae ... P. poltocephalus, Lath. Characters.—Bill strong, thick, compressed at the base; the maxilla curving abruptly at its apical half; the gape also slightly curved. Top of head covered by a thick plate or bony shield, in some individuals almost developed into a casque. Nostrils open, slightly oval, not surrounded by a membrane, placed high upon the maxilla, nearer the culmen than the commis- sure, nearer the base than the tip. Wings, moderate; the third and fourth quills longest. Tail rather short. ‘Tarsi strong, rather thick ; toes very long ; middle toe longer than tarsus, bordered by a narrow membrane; claws very long, much curved, acute. Key to THE SPECIES. A. Occiput and back of neck black ; legs and bill red. (a.) Cheeks black; back greenishblack. 1. P. s peiiee US. (b.) Sides of head turquoise blue ; back dark blue... .. 2. P. veterum. B. Head, neck and under surface, deep blue; back brownish-black; legs grass green We ©. Breast turquoise blue. (a.) Occiput, sides of face and chin black ; back and rump blackish- 3. P. bellus. THE GENUS PORPHYRIO: AND ITS SPECIES. 13 blue, washed with green; under parts dark violet blue Hi. Wide) Bevealouss (8.) Like the above, but with the rump white ! 5. P. celestis. (c.) Occiput dark blue; ‘sides of face and chin turquoise blue ; back grass green; under-parts pale violet blue ite .. 6. P. chloronotus. D. Sides of face and occiput near the head-shield, grey, tinged with purple. (a.) Back and rump dark purple; wings pale greenish-blue we» 7. P. poliocephalus. (6.) Back, rump, wings and _ tail, uniform greenish black we 8. P. edwardsi. E. Head, neck and breast greyish-blue ; wings ultramarine; back and tail reddish-brown ; abdomen, flanks and thighs indigo blue rene . 9 P. pulverulentus. 1.—Porphyrio cyanocephalus. Porphyrio cyanophalus, (lege cyanocephalus), Vieill., Nouv. Dict. d’Hist. Nat. (1819), t. 28, p. 28. Porphyrio melanotus, Temm. Man. Ornith. Tom., II, p. 701, (1820).—Shaw, Gen. Zool. Vol. XII, (1824).—Gray, Gen. B. Vol. III, p. 598.—Id. Jbis, (1862), p. 240.—Jouan. Mem. Societ. Imp. Scien. Nat. (1863), p. 245.—Schleg.Mus. Pays. Bas. p. 57, Rallii—Finsch, Jour. ftir, Ornith. (1870), p- 358.—Brehm. Jour. fiir. Ornith. (1871), p. 34.—Hnuitt., Ibis, (1872), p. 247.—Bull. Birds N. Zeal. (1873), p. 185.— ae Ibis, (1874), p. 96.—Albert. Proc. Zool. Soc., (1875), p. 530. . Porphyrio cyanocephalus, Vieill., Eucy. A Tom., 111 p. 1051, (1823). Porphyrio melanonotus, Blyth, Cat., B. Mus. Asiat. Soc. (1849), p- 283.—Layd. Jbis, (1877), p. 363, sp. 81. Porphyrio melanonotus var. pelewensis, Hartl., and Finsch, Proc. Zool. Soc., (1872), p. 107. Porphyrio pelewensis, Hartl., and Finsch, Ornith. Sudsee-Ins. Palau Gruppe, (1875), p. 39, (small var.) Porphyrio stanleyi, Rowl., Ornith. Mise. Part II, pl, ix, (1875), albino. Pukeko. Pakura. New Zealand, Buller. Hab.—Australia, Yule Island, New Guinea, (d’ Albertis), New Zealand, New Caledonia (Jouan, Layard), Chatham Islands, (Hutton). 14 THE GENUS PORPHYRIO AND ITS SPECIES. This species is distributed generally throughout Australia, Tasmania, and New Zealand, besides some of the islands conti- guous to the latter. It is apparently very abundant in the localities it frequents. According to Gould specimens from various parts of the Australian continent differ in size, and Dr. Buller, in his Birds of New Zealand, mentions different varia- tions of plumage occurring among examples seen by him from the latter country, some of which were partially white. The specimen in the Liverpool Museum, described by Mr. Rowley, (l.c.), as P. stanleyi, is probably a nearly perfect albino of this species. The present bird is rather shy, although when domesticated it becomes very tame. It builds its nests in swampy situations, depositing from two to seven eggs, measur- ing 2:2 %1°5 inches, usually of a “pale yellowish brown, spotted and blotched with purplish and reddish brown,” presenting a general individual diversity of colouring. Adult.—Occiput, cheeks, chin, back, wings and tail, black ; rest of plumage indigo blue; outer webs of primaries pale blue ; frontal plate, bill, legs, and feet red; the bill is palest towards the point. Total length, 18 to 19 inches; wing, 10°5; tail, 4°62; bill at gape, 1°5 to 1:62 ; width of head-shield at its posterior margin, 0°62 to 1 inch; tarsus, 3:37 to 3°62; middle toe, 3:37; claw, 0°87 inch. Immature individuals have the lower parts streaked with brownish white. Young, almost entirely black, with a faint tinge of blue upon the breast and flanks; bill in the skins, brownish black, with a yellowish bar crossing both maxilla and mandible in front of the nostrils in one specimen, but in another the yellow takes a lengthwise course beneath the culmen and above the gonys. 2.—Porphyrio veterum. The Purple Water Hen, Edw. Nat. Hist. Birds, Vol. IIL., p. 87, pl. 87, (1747), Porphyrio veterum, Gel. Reiss Russl., Vol. I1I., p. 79, (foot note) pl. 12, (1774).—Gray, Gen. Birds, Vol. III., p. 598.— Bolle. Jour. fiir Ornith., (1855), p. 314.—Salvadori, Jour. fiir. Ornith., (1865), p. 282.—Brooke, Jbis (1873), p. 336, sp. 154.—Von Heugl. Ornith. Nord-ost Afr., (1873), Band. II, pv. 12384.—Dress. Birds Eur., Part. 50, May 1876. Fulica ewrulea., Vandelli. Flor. et Faun. Lusit. (1780), p. 37. Gallinula porphyrio, var. B., Lath. Ind. Orn., Vol. IL., p. 768, (1790.) Fulica porphyrio, Pall. Zoog-Ross-Asiat., Vol. IL, p. 156, (1811.) ; . : | . . | THE GENUS PORPHYRIO AND ITS SPECIES. 15 Porphyrio hyacinthinus, Temm. Man. Ornith., Vol. II., p. 698, (1820).—Salv., bis. (1859), pp. 857 to 361.—Tristr., bis, (1860), pp. 80, 159.—Drake, [bis, (1867), p. 428.—Tacza- now. Jour. fiir. Ornith. (1870), p. 54.—Saund., Zbis, (1871), p. 225. Porphyrio antiquorum, Bon. Icon. Faun., Ital, p. 72, Tabl. 44. (1832-41).—Gould, B. Eur., pl. 340, Vol. V.—Keyserl. and Blas. Wirbelth. Hur. (1840), p. 68. Porphyrio cesius, Schleg. Mus. Pays B. Ralli., p. 52, (1865). Porphyrio hyazinthinus, Brehm. Jour. fiir. Ornith. (1871), p. 34. Hab.—Southern Europe, Nerth Africa, Hastern Atlas, (Salvin) ; Tuggert Sahara, (Tristram) ; Tangier, (Drake) ; Marshes of the Guadalquiver, Majorca, (Saunders) ; Sardinia, (Brooke) ; Palestine, (Tristram). Mr. Salvin states that this species is common at Zana in the Eastern Atlas, but keeps out of sight in the tall reeds, and he imagined it was in the habit of eating the eggs of the various species of Duck which were breeding in the locality; and Canon Tristram relates that once he saw a bird of this species seize a young duckling in its huge foot, and after crushing the head with its bill, eat the brains, but did not touch the carcase. Adult.—Sides of the head, chin, throat, and upper part of breast dark turquoise blue, brightest on the cheeks; occi- put, back of neck, wings, back and tail, uniform rich dark blue ; lower part of breast, flanks, and abdomen, blackish blue ; under tail-coverts pure white; bill and head-shield, crimson ; legs and feet, flesh colour. Total length, 19 inches; wing, 10:75; tail, 4; bill along gape, 1:75; width of head-shield at its posterior margin, 0°87 inch; tarsus, 3°75; middle toe and claw, 4°87 inch. % Young.—Rump dark brown ; flanks brown, mixed with blue ; breast, thighs, abdomen, and vent, brownish white ; rest like the adult. 3-—Porphyrio bellus. Porphyrio bellus, Gould. Proc. Zool. Soe. (1840), p. 176.— Id. Birds Austr., Vol. VI., pl. 70.—Id. Hand-l. B. Austr., Vol. IL, p. 822 (1865).—Gray Gen. B., Vol. IIL. p. 598 — Schleg. Mus. Pays. B. Ralli., p. 58. (1865).—Finsch, Jour. fiir Ornith. (1872), p. 182.—Layd., Jdis (1877), p. 363, sp. 82. Hab.— Western Australia ,(Gould.); New Caledonia, (Layard). There is no specimen of this species in the Paris Museum, all those from Australia belonging to the P. cyanocephalus, 16 THE GENUS PORPHYRIO AND ITS SPECIES. Vieill. It appears to differ from the last-named by having the head blue, and the throat and chest a lighter blue, and in the grass green legs and feet, these last being red in its relative. In size the two appear to be about the same, the dimensions of the present species being fully equalled by those of speci- mens of cyanocephalus before me. Mr. Gould states it was abundant at Swan River and also the lakes and rivers around Perth and Freemantle. The male is somewhat larger than the female. The following is Mr. Gould’s description of the type, now I believe in the collection of the Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences :— ; “ Head, neck, and all the under-surface deep blue ; sides of the face, front of the throat and chest, greenish blue; back, wings, and tail, brownish black; shoulder, and edge of the wing, and outer margins of the primaries, greenish blue; under tail-coverts, white; irides, bright red ; bill, red; legs, grass green, except the knees (?), lower part of the tarsi and inside of the feet, which are dark greenish grey. Total length, 18 inches; bill, 1:75; wing, 10°5; tail, 4°55 tarsi, 3°5 inch. 4,—Porphyrio calvus. Porphyrio calvus, Vieill., Nouv. Dict. d’ Hist. Nat. (1819); Tom XXVIIL., p. 28. (ex Java). Porphyrio indicus, Horsf. Trans. Linn. Soc. (1821). Vol. XIII, p. 194.— Eyton, Proc. Zool. Soc. (1839). p. 107.— Gray, Gen. Birds, Vol. III., p. 598.—Cass. Wilkes, U. 8. Exp. Exped. (Ornith.), p. 308, (1858).—Schleg. Mus. Pays. B., p. 55. Ralli. (1865).—Finsch and Hartl. Faun. Central. Polyn. Aves., p. 170., pl. XII. fig. 2. (1867).— Wald. Trans. Zool. Soc. (1871). p. 92.—Salvadori. Uccel. Born., (1874), p. 342. Porphyrio smaragdinus, Temm. Plan. Col., Livr. 71. (1827). pl. 421. (ex Java)—Gray, Proc. Zool. Soc. (1860),, p. 365.—Wall. Proce. Zool. Soc. (1863), p. 487. | Porphyrio samoensis, Peale, U. 8S. Expl. Exped. (1848). p. 220, (Ornith.) (ex Upolu, Samoa).—Finsch, Jour. fiir. Ornith. (1872), p. 55. Porphyrio vitiensis, Peale, U. S. Expl. Exped. (1848). p. 221 (Ornith.). (ex Viti, Feegee).—Cass. U. S. Expl. Exped (1858), p. 309.—Schleg. Mus. Pays B., p. 55., Ralli (1865).—Griffe, Jour. fiir Ornith. (1870) pp. 403-413.— Hartl. and Finsch, Jour. fiir Ornith. (1870), p. 135.—Id Proc. Zool. Soe. (1871), p. 27. (ex Tonga).—Layd. Proc. Zool. Soe. (1875), p. 489.—Id Jbis, (1876), p. 393. Porphyrio melanopterus, Temm. M.§. (ex Ceram.) THE GENUS PORPHYRIO AND ITS SPECIES. 17 Porphyrio aneiteumensis, Tristr., Ibis. (1876), p. 265, sp. 24. (ex New Hebrides). Hab.—Java, Sumatra, (Cassin) ; Celebes, Timor, Banda, ( Wal- lace) ; Bouru. (Hoedt.) ; Samoan Islands, Feejee Islands, (Peale); Kalai, (Grdafe); Tongatabou, Savai, Ovalou, (Haril. and Finsch) ; Opalou (Voy. Astrolabe), New Hebrides, ( Tristram.) This species is generally known as Porphyrio indicus of Horsfield, but it was described two years previously by Vieil- lot, (I. ¢.) as. £. calvus, which is the name it should pro- petly bear. The specimen in the Paris Museum, which I believe is Vieillot’s type, came from Java. It is mounted, and of rather smaller dimensions than other examples from that island, but as this species varies greatly in size among the adult birds, even from the same locality, its measurements can- not be regarded as of any specific importance. The P. calvus has received many names, some bestowed on account of the greater or less size among individuals, or from some slight and really unimportant variations in the hues of certain parts of their plumage. But when a fair series of these birds is compared, of individuals coming from many and even far distant localities, it is readily perceived that neither the dimensions nor colour of plumage are reliable, and that ¢ra- dations from one so-called species to another are readily ob- tained. The most prominent synonyms of the P. calvus, be- sides indicus of Horsfield, are samoensis and vitiensis, Peale, and the lately-described anettewmensis, Tristram, from the New Hebrides. With examples before me from Java, Celebes, Tonga, Viti, Upolu, and Samoa, I can perceive no cha- racters that indicate, more than one species, although the measurements among them are dillerent, and the hues of their plumage vary slightly ; but these are not confined to indivi- duals from any particular locality, for birds from one island will vary from each other, especially in size, toa greater degree than they do from those of a different island. Mr. Cassin decided (I. c.) that the samoensis, Peale, was the same as the P. calvus, (called by him P. indicus), judging from Peale’s types then before him; but permitted vitiensis to stand solely on account of its small size. Messrs. Hartlaub and Finsch also admit vitiensis as a distinct species, but not for its size, [which they say cannot be considered as a specific character, for while some are smaller than P. indicus (P. calvus), others are larger ! |, but on account of differences in its colouration, which “ readily distinguish it.” In vitiensis, according to these authors, the mantle and the back are dark olive brown, with olive green reflexions, while in 5) 18 THE GENUS PORPHYRIO AND ITS SPECIES. indicus, (P. calvus), these parts are black with dark blue reflexions. In vitiensis, the greater wing-coverts, the scapulars, and the inner secondaries have a reddish olive hue, but in the other these are blackish olive brown. In vitiensis, the outer webs of the primaries have pale blue reflexions, passing into pale green towards the ends, while in indicus, as called by them, the primaries are pale blue, and the secondaries dark blue, and the sides of the head and the breast is brighter. Now, if the differences given above were observed, only in birds from very distant localities such as Java and Viti, it might possibly be supposed that there were two species ; but in a series from various localities, such as is now before me, the slight distinctions enumerated disappear, and as regards their colouration, the specimens graduate into one another. I find that examples from Celebes have a plumage intermediate between that described by Messrs. Hartlaub and Finsch as characterising the birds from Java and Viti, and exhibit the mantle and back blackish brown with greenish reflexions. The outer webs of the primaries are bluish green, and the greater wing-coverts are olive brown, with a greenish lustre. This at once shakes the belief that there is more than one species, for if the slight difference in colour between Java and Viti birds is sufficient to constitute distinct species, the Celebes specimens must represent a third, and it is not unlikely that every island in which these birds are found, might produce another style intermediate again, and thus many species be established on what is but merely phases of plumage of a single species with a wide distribution. Two specimens from Opalu are the smallest of those before me, and have the backs pure olive-brown. These would probably be the P. samoensis, Peale. Canon Tristram (1.c.) has described the bird from the New Hebrides as a distinct species, differing from the P. calvus mainly in size, but I find specimens in the Paris Museum from Java with almost the same dimensions as those given for the P. anei- teumensis, and cannot regard the measurements as indi- cating any specific character. The suggestion that Mr. Cassin eave his measurements from a specimen erroneously marked as coming from Samoa, because they agree exactly with the bird from the New Hebrides, is hardly likely, for Mr. Cassin states that there were several specimens in the collection made by the expedition, all of which came from the Samoan Islands, and he could not perceive “ any character indicative of distinction in species” between them and examples from “Jaya, Sumatra, and other islands of the Malay Archipelago.” S. F. Vol: VIL P:19. paneer < Fie > & Fu »} BH & 5 Bare: xg ON Ay P. CALVUS. Type JAVA. THE GENUS PORPHYRIO AND ITS SPECIES. 19 Believing that my materials are sufficient to give a tolerably eorrect idea of the specific value of the styles presented by the species in the various localities in which it is found, I am obliged to state that I can find nothing to indicate more than one species, possessing a slight difference in the dimensions and colouration of individual birds, and I have therefore placed all those forms described as distinct, among the synonyms. According to Layard, this bird is pretty common and generally distributed in Feegee. It eats small fish, crabs, insects, sugarcane and berries, and to get the latter it perches on trees. It is easily kept in confinement, but rather dangerous to other birds, and a pair he had having been placed too near a cage containing some young parrots, drew them through the bars and picked out their brains. The adult has the occiput, sides of the face and chin, black ; mantle and sides of neck, flanks, breast, thighs and abdomen, (except in the centre), dark violet blue ; ; shoulders - of wings greenish blue; wings, green; primaries black, with the outer webs bluish-ereen, changing to emerald-green in certain lights ; secondaries, bluish- black, the innermost ones with a oveenish shade; back and upper parts blackish or olive brown, with dark biue or greenish reflexions ; under tail-coverts pure white; bill, frontal plate, legs and feet, crimson. The anterior lateral portions of the frontal plate extending to the nostrils, orange in the skin. In some specimens, the thighs are greenish-blue, like the shoulders, but this does not appear to be anything more than an individual variation, as others from the same locality have the thighs violet blue, As described above. The following are the dimensions of several individuals from various places :— Total . - Billalon, . Middie length, Wing. ail. gape. ° Tarsus. toe. ee eos eae oe 150 90 35 1:25 2°87 2°87 wee 25:0 8°75 3°25 1°37 3°0 2°87 5p > Type of eats oop HEH 8:12 30 1:06 25 & claw 3°12 Gurontales Celebes we 15°5 9:25 3°75 1:37 3°0 3:0 - .. 150 9:0 3°5 alg) 3°0 2°87 Opalou (Peale) ate 5 g eae es Be oe 31 oe rad sh ) 4 7 dl ‘0 2:87 Voy-astrolabe. {ging LL da7s 83) OSS) 387 276 Viti 000 cp 5 8°75 3°75 1:37 3'0 2°62 53 (Cassin) . ee. 13°0 8:0 2:5 125 2°25 30 | Tonga ... eo. 145? 8°75 incomplete 1:25 2°75 2°75 New Hebrides :! we 18'S 9°4 3°6 1°35 35 6& claw 3°75 A lithograph is here coe of the heads of P. calvus, (type) and of another individual, both from Java to show variation in size. 5.—Porphyrio ccelestis. Porphyrio celestis, Swinhoe, Ibis. (1868), p. 59.—Id. Proc. Zool. Soc. (1870), p. 428; (1871), p. 414,—David and Oust. Ois. de la Chine (1877), p. 484. a 20 THE GENUS PORPHYRIO AND ITS SPECIES, Mr. Swinhoe’s description of this bird answers perfectly well for the P. catvus, with the exception that the rwmp is stated to be white. This is probably an oversight, and for rump, it should read, under tail-coverts. But if this is not the case, then it is certainly a distinct species, for there is no other Porphyrio known with a white rump.* I am inclined to believe that Mr. Swinhoe inadvertently committed an error, and as the individual described was living at the time in eap- tivity, it was probably P. canvus brought from one of the islands in the Hastern Archipelago. ‘The description of this bird is as follows :— . “ Head, dusky grey ; sides of neck, flanks and belly, fine Llue purple; throat, down to breast, turquoise blue, a patch of which also occurs across the shoulder-joint; rump, white; bill, casque and legs, brick red ; eyes crimson.” 6.—Porphyrio chloronotus. Fulica porphyrio, Linn. Syst. Nat. (1766), Vol. I., p. 258, sp. 5.—Gmel. Syst. Nat. (1788), Vol. II., p. 699. Purple gallinule, Latham. Gen. Syn. Birds, (1785), Vol. IIT., Pt. 1., p. 254. La Taléve de Madagascar, Buff. Planch. Enlum. No. 810. Gallinula porphyrio, Lath. Ind. Ornith. (1790), Vol. IL, p. 768, sp. 6. ? Gallinula madagascariensis, Lath. Ind. Ornith. Supp. (1801), p. 68, juv. Porphyrio chlorynothos, Vieill. Nouv. Dict d’ Hist. Nat. (1819), Tom. XXVIII, p. 24, pl. M. 20, fig. 3. Porphyrio smaragnotus, Temm. Man. Ornith. (1820), Vol. II., p- 700.—Ayres, Ibis. (1859), p. 249, (1874), p. 105.— Finsch. and Hartl. Vég. Ost. Afr., p. 783.—Brehm. Jour. fiir. Ornith. (1871), p. 34.—Dress. DB. Hur. Pt. 56, (1876). Porphyrio erythropus, Steph. in Shaw’s Gen. Zool., Vol. XII, p. 255 (1824). Po ko yrio madagascariensis, Gray. Gen. Birds, Vol. III., p. 598.—Blyth, Cat. Birds Mus. Asiat. Soc. (1849), p. 283,— Hartl, Jour. fiir. Ornith. (1860), p. 172 ; (1861), p. 272.— E. Newt. Ibis. (1861), p. 116. ’—Roch and Newt., bis. (1863), p. 173.—A. Newt. Proc. Zool. Soe. (1865), p- 836.—Schleg., Mus. Pays. Bas., p. 54, Ralli, (1865).— Boccage, Jour. fiir. Ornith., (1875), p. 299. * Partial Albinos in this group seem not uncommon; T have seen P. poliocephalus with half the back white, and not long since a nearly perfectly white Coot (#. atra) was sent me from Kattiawavr. Ae 'O) Ee THE GENUS PORPHYRIO AND ITS SPECIES. 21 Porphyrio smaragdonotus, Licht. Nomencl. Av., p. 97, (1854).— von Mill. Jour. fiir. Ornith. (1856), p. 228.—Gurn. Ibis, (1868), p. 469.—von Heugl., Ornith. Nord. Ost. Afr. (1873), Band. IT., p. 1230. Porphyrio agyptiacus, Heugl. Syst. Uebers., p. 65, No. 672, (1856).—Hartm., Jour. fiiry Ornith. (1863), p. 231. Porphyrio hyacinthinus, (nec Temm.) Shelley Birds, Egypt, (1872), p. 297. Hab.—Africa, Madagascar, Natal, (Gurney) ; Mauritius, (EZ. Newton) ; Sardinia, (Prunner). This species has been referred to the Gadlinula madagasca- riensis, Latham (Il. c.), but this does not seem to me correct. Latham’s description is as follows :—“ G. purpureo-fusca, sabtus cerulea, capite griseo-cerulescente, gula pectore humerisqueé viri- dibus.”’ This does not answer for any species of Porphyrio _known to me, although it may possibly be an immature speci- men of the G. poliocephala, Lath. It certainly will not answer for the adult of the present species, and I have therefore adopted for it Vieillot’s name of chlorynothos (leze CHLORONoTUS), which antidates Temminck’s appellation of smaragnotus. Sykes gives this species as a native of the Deccan, kut he of course intended to indicate the PoLIocEPHALUs, Lath., as the P. CHLORONOYUs is not found in India. It is a native of Africa, Madagascar and the Mauritius. It is stated to have been obtained once in the south of France, and twice in Sardinia, but its appearance north of the African coast can only be regarded as accidental. It is generally distributed throughout the con- tinent of Afiica as far as the Cape of Good Hope. Anderson says it is rather scarcé in Damara and Great Namaqua Land ; not uncommon in the rainy season at Ondonga, and pretty abundant on the rivers ‘'eoghe and Okavongo. Specimens vary in their dimensions, as is the case with other species of this genus, but these slight differences cannot be considered as having any specific value. Messrs. Roch and Newton state that this bird is very common at Tarafata and Foule Point in Madagascar, and that their flesh is much prized for the table. In the colony of Natal, according to Gurney, this species is pretty generally distributed. During the winter it leaves the high reeds in the mornings and evenings to catch the sun’s rays, and perches on clumps of reeds. It feeds upon the soft parts of the shoots of reeds and other water plants. If there is any difference between the sexes, the female is a little the smaller. Adult.—Occiput, back of neck, lower part of breast and flanks, deep rich blue; sides of face and neck in front, throat and upper part of breast, turquoise blue, apparently lightest in 22 THE GENUS PORPHYRIO AND ITS SPECIES. specimens from Madagascar; back and rump, grass green ; wings, bright blue; inner webs of primaries and secondaries, black; tail, black; the outer webs washed with dark green ; under tail-coverts pure white; bill, frontal plate, legs and feet, bright red ; iris, brown. Total length, 16°75 inch; wing, 9°75 ; tail, 4; billalong gape, 1:5; width of head-shield a% its posterior margin, 0°81; tarsus, 3°37 ; middle toe, 3:5; claw, 1 inch. Young.—Back olive green, and the under parts blotched and spotted with white. 7.—Porphyrio poliocephalus. Gray-headed Gallinule, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., Vol. IL, p. 375 (1785). Callinula potiocephala, Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp., p. 58. Porphyrio poligcephalus, Vieill. Nouv. Dict. Hist. Nat. (1819), Tom. XXVIII, p. 39.—Gray Gen. Birds, Vol. III., p. 598.— Blyth, Cat. Birds, Mus. Asiat. Soc. (1849), p. 283.—Ivby, Ibis, (1861), p. 246.—Jerd., Birds Ind., Vol. TIL., p. 713 (1864).—Blyth, bis, (1867), p. 171.—Beav, Jbis. (1868), p- 895.—Holdsw., Proc. Zool. Soc. (1872), p. 475.—Lloyd., Ibis, (1878), p. 418.—Legge, Ibis, (1874) p. 31.—Ball, Str. Feath., (1874), Vol. II., p. 432.—Blyth, Birds, Burma, (1875), p. 161.—Butler, Str. Feath., Vol. LV. (1876), p. 20. —Hume, Str. Feath., VI, p. 464, (1878.) Porphyrio smaragnotus, Sykes. (nec Tem.) P. Z. &., 1832, 165. Porphyrio neglectus, Schleg. Mus. Pays B., p. 53, Ralli, (1865). —Hume, Str. Feath., Vol. I. (1873), p. 249, Vol. IL, (1874), p. 483.—Oates, Str. Feath., Vol. IlI. (1875), 185 Hab.—Throughout all India and Ceylon (Jerd.) ; Hastern side of the Bay of Bengal to the Tenasserim Provinces, (Blyth.), Common in Sindh and Kattiawar, less so in Cutch, rare in © Jodhpoor, (Hume); Mount Aboo and Northern Guzerat, (Butler); Deccan, (Syke); Oudh and Kumaon ,lrby) ; Upper Pegu, (Oates) ; Southern Ceylon, (Legge). This is the species described by Latham, first as the “ Gray- headed Gallinule” (1. c.), and afterwards as Gallinula polioce- phala, (1. c.). He does not at all describe the Philippine bird named P. PULVERULENTUs by Temminck, which in the colour of its plumage has very little resemblance to the present species. Schlegel (I. c.) has called the birds of “ Inde continentale depuis le Nipaul jusqu’au Cap Comorin,” P. neglectus, and has given lLatham’s name to the Philippine bird; but J.atham says in his Synopsis (1. c.) that the back of PoLIOCEPHALA, (as he an 4 tl he aos THE GENUS PORPHYRIO AND ITS SPECIES. 23 afterwards called it), is purple, and as this properly charac- terises the Indian bird, and not at all the Philippine, which has the back a reddish olive brown, it would seem that Schlegel was in error in giving the present species a new name, and I have therefore placed his P. neglectus among the synonyms given above. The habits of this species, having been already recorded in Stray FeatTHERrs, and as it is a bird doubtless well known to all Indian ornithologists, it is not necessary for me to say anything about them. Adult.—Occiput and nape, space around the eyes, and lores, grey, tinged with purple; back of neck, back and rump, pur- plish-blue, varying somewhat in shade between dark blue and purple according to the light; cheeks, chin and throat, pur- plish-grey, passing into a dark turquoise blue upon the lo wer part of the neck and breast ; wings, pale greenish-blue; inner webs of primaries and secondaries, black; lower part of breast, flanks, abdomen, vent and thighs, dark purplish-blue ; tail, black, edged with blue on the outer webs; under tail- coverts, pure white ; bill, red; the culmen for three-fourths its basal length, and a spot at base of each mandible, dark blood- red; head-shield, cherry-red; irides, brick-red; legs and feet, pale brick-red to crimson. Total length, 18 inches ; wing, 10; tail, 4°5; bill at gape, 1:62; width of head-shield on posterior margin, 1:12; tarsus, 3:62; middle toe, 3°62; claw, 1 inch. 8.—Porphyrio edwardsi, Plate. Porphyrio edwardsi, Hlliot. Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist. (1878), p. 98. ; Hlab.—Cochin-China, Saigon, (Germain) ; Bankok. (Bocourt). Four specimens of this handsome bird, (upon which I have conferred the name of edwardsi, in compliment to my friend Prof. A. Milne-Edwards, so well known for his important con- tributions to Natural History), are contained in the collection of the Paris Museum, three adults and one young bird. Two of the adults are precisely like the figure in the accompanying plate (the type) ; the third is a little paler upon the sides of the head, but all possess the uniform greenish-black back and wings. The P. edwardsi differs from LP. poliocephalus in being darker on the back of the head, in having the blue of the breast of a darker shade, and specially in having the upper parts, including the wings, greenish-black, instead of the purple back and rump, and greenish-blue wings of poliocephalus. This colouring of the upper parts is so conspicuously different in the two species that either can be recognised at a glance. PORPHYRIO EDWARDSI. Ph fa 8 ie oan oa aes catia ia 24 THE GENUS PORPHYRIO AND ITS SPECIES. As it is not at all improbable that this species may be found to inhabit some portions of the Tenasserim provinces, I am happy to bring it prominently before Indian Ornithologists, through the medium of the accompanying beautiful plate. Adult.—Ear-coverts, lores and space round the eyes, greyish white; back of head, brown, darkest in the centre, where it is almost a brownish-black, with a purple tinge, shading off to a greyish-white towards the head-shield, and the sides of the head; cheeks, bluish-white ; chin and throat, brownish, with a bluish shade ; back and sides of neck, lower part of breast and flanks, dark violet blue; front of neck and upper part of breast, shoulders and under wing-coverts, deep turquoise blue ; back, rump, wings, secondaries, primaries and tail, uniform greenish-black ; middle of abdomen and crissum, brownish black ; under tail-coverts, pure white ; bill, head-shield, legs and feet, apparently bright red. Total length, 16:25 inches; wing, 10°75; tail, 4°25 ; bill along gape, 1°25 ; width of head-shield at posterior margin, 0°87 ; tarsus, 3°37 ; middle toe, 3°75; claw, 0:75 inches. Young.—Top and back of head covered with downy black feathers ; sides of head, grey ; chin and throat, white ; breast, dark turquoise blue ; flanks and abdomen, violet blue; crissum and thighs, brownish-black, streaked with white; wings and middle of back, greenish-black ; rump, brownish-black ; bill red, with the culmen and spots on the mandible, black ; head-shield small, apparently red. Total length, 10°5; tarsus, 2°75 ; bill at gape, 1 inch. 9.—Porphyrio pulverulentus. Porphyrio pulverulentus, Temm. Plan. Col., Livy. 68., No. 405.—von. Mart. Jour. fiir Ornith. (1866), p. 29. Porphyrio poliocephalus, Schleg. Mus. Pays. B. Ralli., p. 54. (1865). Hab.—Philippines. This is a very fine and handsome species, perfectly distinct from the Indian bird, whose name of ~poliocephalus, Prof. Schlegel has for some unaccountable reason bestowed upon it. The two, when placed side by side, have really no resemblance whatever to each other. The present species 1s apparently ex- tremely rare in collections, the type in the Leyden Museum figured by Temminck, and a specimen in the Paris Museum, being all that are known so far as 1am aware. It isa native of the Philippines, but of which particular island or islands has not yet been ascertained. Adult.—Head, neck and breast, ereyish-blue, darkest on back ° e =) ° of neck ; back, rump, tail and innermost secondaries, dark red- AFTER THE ADJUTANTS. 25 dish-brown, the feathers mostly tipped with olive-green ; wings ultramarine blue; secondaries (except the innermost already mentioned) and primaries are black on their inner webs, - greenish-blue on their outer; abdomen, flanks and thighs indigo biue ; under tail-coverts white ; bill, head-shield, legs and feet red. Total length, 18 inches ; wing, 9°5 ; tail, 3-5; bill at gape, 15; width of head-shield at posterior margin, 0°87 ; tarsus, 3°25 ; middle toe, 3°37 ; claw, 0°75. After the Adintants, By ©. T. BineHam. To the south-east of Moulmein, about twenty-five miles up the Attaran River, a low but excessively steep and scarped range of limestone rocks, called the Needong hills, run nearly at right angles to the river on the north bank, and overhanging the water present a strikingly bold and picturesque outline. © On the south bank this range is broken into four or five iso- lated masses rising abruptly from the surrounding plain. In the latter end of November and in December these almost inaccessible cliffs afford safe nesting sites to the two species of Adjutants, Leptoptilus argala et javanica. Last January, twelvemonth, while going up the Attaran River on a shooting trip with a friend, I had seen the Adjutant in immense numbers feeding their young cn the topmost pinnacles of these rocks; and, concluding from this that their laying time must be some time in November or Decemher, I there and then determined to make a raid on their nests at the end of the year. Detained by my duties in the frontier forests till the first week in November, and having on my return to Moulmein a lot of work to do, I began to fear that for this year I should be un- able to carry out my project. However an opportunity at last presented itself on the 27th of November. Mr. K., a botanist en-route to Penang and Malacca, happened to touch here and put up with my “ Chief.”’ The steamer on board of which he was a passenger being likely to be detained here four days, Mr. K. expressed a wish to make a trip to some of the limestone hills in the vicinity of | Moulmein in order to investigate their botany. As some one had to accompany him, I was deputed to the task, and was only too delighted, as it would enable me to carry out my long-cherished scheme against the Adjutants. I went and saw Mr. K. and settled preliminaries. A Kalah, or zi 26 AFTER THE ADJUTANTS. Chittagong boat, was engaged, and directed to row over night to Nanteh, a village some eight miles up the Attaran, as by our going overland to Nanteh and starting from there on. the morning we saved a bend of the river and a hard pull or four hours. As I expected the tide to serve at Nanteh at 6 A.M. T had hoped to have got off with Mr. K. by 4-30 a.m., but as it happened, one delay after another detained us, and it was 7-30 before we were fairly off. Mr. K. and myself in one gharry, and two gharries in front filled up to the windows with. Mr. K.’s tent, bedding, drying-presses, portmanteaus, &c. I myself only took my bedding, guns, and ammunition, and a few stout ropes to help me up the rocks. A native taxidermist accom- panied me, who had in his charge skinning apparatus, arsenical soap, paper, &e. Time works wonders, and by his good help even a Moulmein gharry and pony accomplished the four miles by road to Nanteh in something over an hour and a half. Arrived here, by good luck, for nothing seems to be carried out punctually in Burmah, we found the boat I had despatched over night awaiting us, and so immediately proceeded to stow away our things, and the three servants we were taking with us. While I was attending to this seeing, that the bedding was spread comfor- tably for us to recline on, it being an impossibility in these boats to sit on a stool or chair, Mr. K. began teasing a hand- some tame Peacock which was strutting about near the village ; and ere I had finished my arrangements, had concluded the fourth and last round of a single combat with it. As Mr. K. was a very little man, it was an open question as to which would win, and I looked up rather anxiously from the boat to see whether the fight was going to be continued, as in case there had been another round I should, I think, have backed the Peacock. Poor K., he was one of the best fellows I have ever met, and has since, I very much regret to say, fallen a martyr in the cause of his beloved science. . Everything being at last arranged and stowed away, we got in and shoved off, carrying up with us the very last of a very weak flood. The morning was bright and fresh, a gentle breeze was blowing down the river, and all Nature was thoroughly alive. Bright Kingfishers (Pelargopsis burmanica, Halcyon smyrnensis, and pileata) flashed among the mangroves lining either bank, or flew across the river in front of our boat, with harsh chattering screams. Tall Snow-white Egrets stood in re- tired nooks on the muddy shore, while underneath the banks, in the thick covers of the mangroves, skulked the solitary Waterhen (Gallinula phenicura). High over head the large AFTER THE ADJUTANTS. 27 Paroquet (Paleornis magnirostris), in parties of four and five, skimmed with wild shrill screams swiftly from bank to bank, while lower down large numbers of crows (Corvus insolens) with lazier flight, were winging their way to their hunting grounds in the city. Corvus insolens, by the way, is a strictly town bird ; you only meet with him in the towns or large villages where in mischief, insolence, and the ability to produce diabolical noises, when a fellow wants to sleep or work, he equals if not surpasses his paler brother of India. On either side, as seen from our boat, the banks seemed lined with thick jungle stretching away unbroken on the right to the Tongwine hills, and on the left to the limestone peaks of Dal- matteah on the Gyne river, while above and beyond these, and lost in the faint morning haze, rose the far distant ranges on the Upper Gyne and Houngraw Rivers. Admiring scenery from a Kalah or Chittagong boat is a difficult matter. You cannot sway your body the slightest bit to the right or left, but the boat lurches and wriggles about in a most annoying manner. They are heavy unweildy crafts these boats, and yet they are the chief means of transit on the long-windine rivers in Tenasserim. Immensely long, narrow, and round-bottomed, they are hollowed out of single solid logs of Thengan (Hopea odorata), and have their sides raised by a planking of teak. From near the stern to about half way they are boarded so as to make a sort of deck with lockers underneath ; while as protection from sun and rain, a low awning of bamboo matting, supported on half hoops of strong cane, covers over the whole of the boarded portion. In front of this deck, and nearly to the prow, thwarts are placed across, and one lengthways for the rowers to sit on, a small bit in the extreme front being also formed into a locker by boarding above. Onur boat crew consisted of five men, four to row and one to steer and direct, the rudder used being a clumsy heavy paddle. The oars also are long, heavy and mas- sive, being passed through loops of cane on the gunwale and not over rullocks. Ordinarily the crew of one of these boats consists of three men, but I had specially bargained for four rowers, and it was well I did so, for before we arrived abreast of the village of Kyl- | myan eighteen miles up, the tide turned against us, and it was only by hard pulling we got within sight of the Needong rocks by 12 o’clock, and we did not get ashore till past 1 o’clock. As we passed under the hill overhanging the left bank of the river, I was delighted to see the Adjutants in full force, two or three crowned each pinnacle, and here and there through the green foliage showing white against the blue rock, I could see 28 AFTER THE ADJUTANTS. the large guano-soiled masses of sticks which composed their nests. Mr. K. was eager to land and commence botanizing at once, and I myself was anxious to essay the climb, but prudence whispered the necessity of seeing to our encamping ground for the night, and buying materials for our dinner, so we went on for half a mile or so to the village of Needong, which consisted of a score or so of bamboo-built houses, raised on posts after the manner of the country, and stragglingly built for a mile along the south bank. Landing, we walked to an inviting-look- ing bamboo grove, underneath which, as there was perfect shelter from the sun, orders were issued to pitch the tent, while Moung Shway Hameyah, a Burman we had brought with us as interpreter, was despatched to the nearest Karen house - for a couple of guides. Whilst waiting for these I examined through my binoculars the nearest limestone hill, an isolated peak about a mile and a half off, and I was pleased to see two Adjutants standing on a conspicuous rock, with a whitish patch near them, which I took to be their nest. As Mr. K. was in- different to what limestone hill we should go first, and this was nearest, we determined to make our preliminary excursion thitherwards. Having given orders to the cook about the pur- chasing of fowls and our dinner, and Shway Hameyah having returned with the two guides, I proceeded to explain to them that we wished to get to the top of that hill, pointing at it. At first they shook their heads and declared it was impossible ; but seeing we were determined to attempt it, and being further tempted by the promise of a liberal reward, one of them admit- ted that he knew of a spot on the north side where it was just possible to scramble up by help of roots and trees. This matter having been satisfactorily decided, one of the two guides had a basket made over to him, and told that he must keep close to Mr. K. To the other I gave my bird stick, car- rying my gun myself. The road at first lay across wet paddy-fields, and the only birds flushed were Tit Larks (C. rufula) and a Paddy Bird or two (Ardeola grayt) ; but just as we got to the end of the fields, a sudden rise and “scape’’ announced the departure of a Snipe—no doubt the common Snipe of these parts, a Pintail (Galdinago sthenura) ; he was far away before I could get my gun to bear on him, and dropped among some trees to the right. Having got clear of the paddy, we entered a gently undulat- ing plain covered with dense evergreen bushes and a few small bamboo clumps. Closer in to the hill we got into a denser and more matted belt of evergreen that surrounded its base, from which the rocks rose sheer and abrupt towering above and AFTER THE ADJUTANTS. 29 hanging over each other in most fantastic shapes. It was’ with some difficulty we worked round towards the north side of the hill, as besides the thickness and thornyness of the jungle the ground under foot was spongy and moist to a degree. How- ever at last our guide stopped, and pointing to a sort of rough gap between two of the lower large rocks, said this was the spot to attempt the climb—and a very nasty break-neck looking spot it was, and I didn’t. half like the look of it all, more be- token I had foolishly left my ropes at the camp. However there was no help for it, and my mouth was watering to see the number of Adjutants wheeling above the hills, all or most of which had probably nests somewhere on the top. As to K. he gazed hopelessly up, and then declared he would leave the honor of the ascent solely to me, and would himself mouse about at the foot for lichens and alge. There being no time to lose, I took off my coat, tightened my belt, and taking only my gun, already loaded, with a cartridge of No. 1. shot in each barrel, and slung on my back to leave my arms free, I requested my [Karen guide to lead on. And lead on he did straight up the face of the rock, clinging on to roots, and projecting knobs of rock ina marvellous manner. I did my best to imitate and follow, but had several times to shout to him to wait for me; and was soaked through with perspiration, and blowing like a broken-winded horse before I got to the first nest which was placed on the flat surface of a block of rock nearly at the top of the ill. A hasty glance at it showed me four eggs resting on a mass of twigs and sticks with scarcely any depression in the centre, and unlined. Below this was a substructure of larger sticks; the whole mass, and the rock on which it was, whitened by the droppings of the birds—the eggs, large white ovals, chalky, stained, and dirtied, as like as possible to eggs of the Common Vulture (Pseudogyps bengalensis). Having secured this prize, I looked around and saw that there were no less than eight other nests in sight, and in three I saw eggs. These also I managed to secure, although the way over the rocks was rough and jagged in the extreme, and once I had to swine myself over a low cliff of about fifteen feet by a root. One nest out of the three contained two eggs, the other two, one each ; in these the eggs were fresher and whiter, the nests themselves being similar to the first described. A little further climbing brought me to the highest peak of rock on the hill, and here I sat down for awhile to enjoy the scene and cool myself. In front of me, and seemingly at my feet, lay the Attaran winding like a silver thread, between walls of green forest, and losing itself round the corner of the next range of 30 AFTER THE ADJUTANTS. limestone rocks beyond the village of Ngabeemah. Far to the north and west I could see the Gyne and Salween with their forest and mountains standing clearly out in the rays of the western sun, while behind me the unbroken jungle stretched away till lost in the meeting of earth and sky ; and more to the left, as I turned round, appeared range upon range of these wondrous limestone rocks, giving a glimpse over their crests, and between them, of the “ meeting of the waters” of the Zamee and Winyeo streams (called, after their junction, the Attaran), and the jagged crest of the mightiest range of all the limestone hills—the Atlantea on the Winyeo River. And now as the sun was sinking rapidly, I had to think about getting down. So stowing three eggs in my pockets and four in my handkerchief, 1 gave the Karen my gun, which by the way I found useless, the Adjutants wheeling about but keeping out of killing range ; however I managed to identify them as Leptoptilus argala, all of the larger kind, and began the descent. But if the ascent was ticklish, this was simply diabolical. Several times I barked my ellows and knees, and twice or thrice stopped to see whether the eggs were not broken. Never was way so long, but down I got at last, and miraculously the eggs were safe. How thankful I was I need not say, for I was rather exhausted. I found that K. had his basket nearly full, and was ready to start back, so off we went making tracks, like one o’clock, for the “shades of night were falling fast.” Hn route, I shot a grand specimen of Mytophoneus eugenet. Arrived at camp, a bath, a good dinner, and a pipe, sent me to bed a happy and contented man. Poor K., who had been expecting an attack of fever, he had been suffering from jungle fever, quite cock-a-hoop that he had escaped it for that night, retired about 9 p.m. Alas! for his triumph, it came on about 12 o’clock, when hearing him moving about I roused myself, lit a candle ard went over to his tent. I found the poor fellow seated outside on a log, and he told me he had had his cold fit, and was now feeling burning hot. After some persuasion I got him to turn in again, and after a little while retired to my own bed, when I lay awake for a long time listening to the “voices of the night.” If the moonlight nights are calmly and peacefully beautiful, how sub- limely grand the dark nigkts are, when in the depths of the forest surrounded by mighty trees, one realizes that darkness which can be felt, and a weird and awful calm enhanced by the unfrequent cry of some night bird, or prowling beast. Slowly hushed by the murmur of the passing waters in the river I fell asleep, and only awoke when light was dawning AFTER THE ADJUTANTS. 3l in the east. Having washed and dressed, I walked over to K.’s tent and found he had got up; and, though feeling extremely weak and ill, was determined to try the hills on the opposite bank. Breakfast was first the order of the day ; that finished, and all things packed, (for we did not intend to come back) we took boat and set off down the river a little. I had by much questioning ascertained from our guides that the most accessible point was on the south-west side of the hills, which consisted of six or seven peaks joined by a con- tinuous knife-like ridge. Passing the overhanging rocks, we landed as soon as we could find a suitable spot for getting on shore, as the tide was out, and there was a long reach of deep mud to get across. A walk of ten minutes across old deserted gardens overgrown with kyne grass, and past a ruined hut, put us at the foot of the hill. Here we found that the path up the rocks, for there actually was one at this place, used by the Karens for getting to the caves where the honey bee builds its combs, presented as rugged a climb as the hill of yesterday. For Mr. K. in his weak state it was impossible to get up, but for me I had the whole day before me, and determined to do it leisurely, collect the plants for Mr. K., eggs for myself, and search particularly for Turdini which I knew frequented these rocks. Leaving one Karen with Mr. K., and taking with mea basket for plants, my gun, bird stick, and a few cartridges, I started. At first the road was easy enough, but about a third of the way up we came to a non-plus, at the foot of a very steep cliff. Here, while my guide was searching about for the lost track, I set to work to collect a few plants. ** Chucka-——chucka—chucka”—and a flock of little brown birds came down the hill flitting in and out of the holes in the limestone, and disappearing in a mysterious manner. Before, however, they had scrambled quite out of sight I managed to shoot two; they proved to be Yurdinus crispi- frons. I had just slung these on to the bird-stick, when my guide returned and informed me that he could fiad no path up. I looked at the cliff in front, a root of sume species of Ficus hung from the top to within six feet of where we were: as it would never have done to turn back, I slung my gun and bird- stick, and giving the basket of plants to my follower, began the climb; and a fearfully tough strugele it was, but I succeed- ed. What a sight burst on my eyes! Right in front of me, the face of the rock for a considerable way, right and left, was covered with a lovely pink orchid (Callanthi rosea) flowering in the wildest luxuriance. After waiting awhile to take breath oe AFTER THE ADJUTANTS. and collect. a good lot of these, we went on again; and thus stopping now and then to collect plants and then desperately working up we got by degrees to the top. This hill was, if possible, more dificult to get about than the one climbed yesterday : the limestone being worn into a series of the most acute needle poimts, and sharp knife-like ridges exceedingly trying to one’s feet. At the top I found three more nests of Adjutants similar to those of yesterday, with eggs. One bird I fired at, but after - sailing off apparently unhurt, I saw it fall a long way out in the forest. I was much struck by a curious noise the Adjutants made when disturbed, a sort of loud grunting croak, not unlike the low of a buffalo. Slowly I worked my way along the ridge, rapidly filling my basket with plants ; and finding several fresh but empty nests of the Adjutants. One pretty brown-spotted yellow Orchid* I found hanging in a tuft overshadowing one of the nests. The sides of the whole little range of rocks was covered with evergreen, and several clumps of a pretty feathery light look- ing bamboo. The scenery presented a picture very similar to that of yesterday, but the Attaran river was more directly under my feet ; and indeed I climbed on to a projecting rock, and peep- ing very carefully over, | found that had I wished to take a header of some 300 feet or soI could plunge sheer into the Attaran. After wandering about for two or three hours I became hungry, and thinking of tiffin began the descent, having care- fully stowed away the eggs, and luckily, as will be seen presently, made them over to the Karen guide to carry. Oh what tedious work it was getting down, the sharp rocks cutting my boots to pieces and tearing my clothes, and just below the place I had got the pink Orchid T was let down with a run, by the breaking of a root to which I was hanging, and so bruising rather severely my right leg. However, all things must have an end ; and, though I had to crawl down very slowly and in great pain, I got down at last ; and cheered by the knowledge of the eggs having been brought down all safe and sound, and the prospect of tiffin, I limped my way to the boat in good spirits. At the little ruined hut, I was distressed to find poor K. down with fever, and feeling altogether very weak and ill. He roused himself, however, at the sight of my basket of plants and set to work pressing them. * Probably Cypripediwm concolor,—d., 8. FE. AFTER THE ADJUTANTS. 30 Tiffin over, of which poor K. partook but sparingly, and there seemingly being little hope of his getting rid of his fever here, I proposed returning to Moulmein; and, accordingly, as soon as the tide served, we paid off our Karen guides, took to our boat, and by 9 p.m. were back in town. Thus ended a most enjoyable trip to me, but for poor K.’s illness. & second* list of the Birds of Sonthern Travancore. My friend, Mr. Bourdillon, has most kindly sent me a second small collection of birds from Southern Travancore, which - contains several species of much interest, and I shall, therefore, not hesitate to give a list of all those not contained in our first list (though these are only 28 in number), together with a few additional remarks on species previously included. The most important of the specimens contained in this collec- tion are one of Jerdon’s long lost species, hitherto supposed to be nothing but Cetti’s Warbler, but now proved to bea perfectly good and distinct species, Schenicola platyura, two of Tro- chalopteron fairbanki, and one of Callene albiventris, hitherto supposed to be peculiar to the Pulneys, and one of Merula kinnisi, similarly till now believed to be restricted to Ceylon. In the subjoined list, species whose names are printed in antique type are new to our list; those printed in roman were included in our first list. ; 24.—Accipiter nisus, Zin. A nearly adult female ; wing about 9:4. 36.—Spizaetus nipalensis, Hodgs. A fine young male of this species is sent, The dimensions recorded in the flesh were as follow :— Length, 27°5 ; expanse, 53; tail from vent, 12°5 ; wing, 16°5 ; tarsus, 4:25; bill from gape, 2:0; width at gape, 1:25; crest, 3°75. The bill and claws were black ; the cere and feet yellow; the irides yellow. 37.—Lophotriorchis kienerii, Gerv. An adult, perfectly black above, and, except the chin and throat, deep rufous, a little streaked with black, below; sexed a female ; wing, 15:7 ; tarsus, 3°0. Mr. Bourdillon remarks :— * For first list, see 8. F., 1V., 851. 34 A SECOND LIST OF THE BIRDS “This Eagle, which was given me by a friend, was shot at an elevation of about 2,200 feet, while in the act of swooping at achicken. Near at hand, however, were high precipitous cliffs, rising to an elevation of fully 5,000 feet, where the bird pro- bably had its home. Not long after obtaining this specimen an Fagle flew past me, while I was riding, which, from its deep chestnut-colored belly, I have no doubt belonged to this same species.” 58.—Circus pygargus, Lin. “This species” (says Mr. Bourdillon) “seems to be rather solitary in its habits. I observed it for the first time last year, and then only saw three or four singly hawking over grassy and rocky ridges.” | 538.—Circus melanoleucus, Forst. An immature female; but with the unmistakeable long tarsus, 3°18 in length. 75 quat.—Scops malabaricus, Jerd. Three nestlings, which I believe unquestionably belong to this well-marked species, have been sent. These were brought to him, Mr. Bourdillon says, when still entirely in down, and kept alive for some time in hopes of securing a record of their changes of plumage as they advanced to maturity. Unfortunately they were allowed to die by the carelessness of servants during a temporary absence from home before they were even fully fledged. I think that Mr. Sharpe is wrone in uniting this species with 8. indicus, Gm. (vide 8. F., Vol. V., p. 135,) and these specimens are certainly unlike any stage of that species, of which I have seen simply hundreds in every possible stage of plumage. 96.—Chaetura indica, Hume. Mr. Bourdillon says : ‘‘ This species is abundant at all times of the year when the weather is fine and clear, and during the early showers of April a flight of Swifts is a pretty sure indi- cation of the approach of a storm. The flight of these Swifts is magnificent ; their speed almost incredible ; the rushing noise made as they dart through the air quite startling. I was much interested the other day in watching a flight of these Swifts feeding on a crowd of Termites that, as is usual at this time of the year, were swarming up from their underground nest. I was close enough to see that at the instant of capture the Swifts detached and rejected the wings of their prey.” OF SOUTHERN TRAVANCORE. 35 117.—Merops viridis, Zin. This, though not previously sent, appears, as might have been expected, to be common. 224,—Arachnothera longirostra, Lath. I am not aware that. this species has as yet been recorded from Ceylon. Indeed the present is the most southern locality in India where I know it to occur. Mr. Bourdillon records the following :— Female.—Length, 5:5; expanse, 7°37; tail, 1:43; wing, 2°38; tarsus, 0°02; bill at front, 1°35. Bill, black above, below pale horny ; legs, feet, and claws, pale slatey blue ; irides, dark brown. This specimen was procured on the 24th of November. 264.—Tephrodornis sylvicola, Jerd. Of this species, rare I believe in collections, Mr. Bourdillon has recorded the following measurements :— Male.—Length, 8:25; expanse, 13°38; tail, 3°12 ; wing, 4:5 ; tarsus, 0°78 ; bill from frontal bone, 1:1. Female.—Leneth, 8:0; expanse, 13°5; tail, 3°5; wing, 4°5; tarsus, 0°8; bill as before, 1:05. 270.—Grauculus macei, Less. _ This also seems not uncommon; the birds belong to the somewhat smaller race that Blyth separated as G. layardi, but which are not really entitled to specific separation. (See 8. F., II., 204.) 309.—Cyornis pallipes, Jerd. S. F., IV., 397. This species is said by Mr. Bourdillon to be not rare, although nowhere common, in all heavy jungle from 1,000 feet and upwards. 339 bis,—Callene albiventris, “ard. S. F., V., 402. The same remarks apparently apply to the present species. 360 d¢s.—Merula kinnisi, Kelaart, Blyth. This species, says Mr. Bourdillon, is not uncommon in the dense scrub jungle at the extreme summits of the hills, but it never, he thinks, descends below 3,000 feet elevation. The Ceylon Blackbird so closely resembles M. simillima, of the Nilgheris, that it may at first sight be supposed that I am in error in this identification, the more so that the Travancore birds are rather larger than the typical Newera Elia ones. 36 A SECOND LIST OF THE BIRDS The only differences that I can discover between the two species are that 4innisi is smaller—wing about 4°5 against 5-0 in simillima, and that it is also distinctly darker in colour above and below. Blyth, in the Jdis, 1867, p. 304, gives the following description :— “« Male.—Jet black, with orange-coloured legs, bill, and orbital skin. Female.—Above ashy-black, below rather paler; bill and. feet bright yellow. Length about 9 inches; wing, 4°5 inches; tail, 4 inches; bill to gape, 1:82 inches; and tarsi, 1°82 inches. First. short primary 1:25 inches shorter, and second 0:5 inches shorter than the fourth, the last character distinguishes this species readily from M. simillima of Southern India.” Now I must say that I do not think that the male can properly be called jet black. Itis no doubt much darker than the Nilgheri birds, but it is never more than slatey black. As to Blyth’s dimensions for the primaries, these are all wrone. Taking a series I find that the Ist primary averages 2°55 inches shorter than the 4th, and the 2nd, 0°6, and the 3rd, 0-1. Moreover, this is much the proportion of *the primaries that ‘exists In s¢millima, and it is not at all possible to separate the two species with reference to this point. The Travancore bird is as dark as any of my Newera Elia ones, but it is slightly larger, the wings measuring 4°7, while in my Newera Elia birds the wings only vary from 4:45 to 4:6. 390 bis.—Alcippe bourdilloni, ume, 8. F.,1V., 485. Another specimen of this interesting species precisely re- sembles the type. It is a female, and measured in the flesh— Length, 5:24; expanse, 6:5; tail, 1:89; wing, 2:25; tarsus, Oe bill from frontal bone, 0° co Bill, above black, below pale slatey ; ; legs and feet dull brown ; irides, white. 423 bis—Trochalopteron fairbanki, Blanf. S. F, III., 413; V., 404. This species, ee Bourdillon tells us, is found in the same places as M. kinnisz, and is there pretty abundant. He records the following dimensions of two specimens :—Length, 8°5, 8°75 ; expanse, 10°28; tail, 3:5, 3°62; wing, 3:25, 3:32; bill from gape, 0°9, 0:98. Judging from the description (for I have never yet succeeded in obtaining a specimen of the Banasore bird), fatrbank: differs _ from T. yer doni in having no bluish tinge on the head, in having the feathers of the foreneck and breast more or less con- OF SOUTHERN TRAVANCORE. 38 spicuously dark shafted, in not having the ear-coverts whitish, and in having the under tail-coverts ferruginous like the abdo- men and not olivaceous as jerdoni is said to have. I feel by no means certain that the two will prove to be really distinct. , The Travancore hill birds seem to differ slightly from the Palni birds ; the crowns are not nearly so dark ; the ear-coverts are browner, the sides of the neck olivaceous and not grey as in the Palni birds; and the throat and upper breast are much paler, almost white in fact, and much more conspicuously paler shafted. I have not a sufficient series to enable me to determine whether these differences are constant and sufficient to warrant their separation, but I am inclined to doubt it. 442.—Scheenicola platyura, Jerd. The re-discovery of this long lost species is one of the most interesting results of Mr. Bourdillon’s labours. He obtained one specimen, a female, on the 18th April in open grass land at Colathoorpolay Patnas, at an elevation of 3,800 feet in the Assamboo Hills, the southernmost section of the Western Ghats, in fact about three degrees due south of Goodalore where the lost type and hitherto unique specimen was obtained, and in what is virtually a continuation, though broken, of the same range of hills. The specimen measured in the flesh :— Female.—Length, 5°75 ; expanse, 8:0; wing, 2°5; tail, 2°5; tarsus, 0°88 ; hind toe and claw, 0:6; claw only, 0:29; mid toe and claw, 0°83; inner and outer toes equal without claws, and without claws, exactly equal to middle toe without claw and terminal joint; claw of inner toe larger than that of outer toe; 3rd, 4th, and 5th quills equal, possibly 4th a shade longer, 2nd quill 0-4, and Ist quill 0°9 shorter than 4th. Vible portion of Ist quill, 0°8 long and about 0-2 wide. Tail of ten feathers (in this spécimen, and none seem wanting) ; feathers soft and very broad, much rounded ; two central pairs about the same length, the three succeeding pairs each 0:25 shorter than preceding ; the lower tail-coverts are very full and lax and extend just to the tips of the shortest tail feathers, or to within 0°75 of the end of the tail. Bill almost precisely like that of Dumeticola affinis, (to which the whole upper surface bears a strong resemblance) but stouter; culmen, from frontal bone to tip, 0°58. The whole upper surface of the bird is a rich rufescent olive brown, a shade browner and deeper colored thanin Cetti’s Warbler, and perhaps the faintest shade less rufescent than in Dumeticola afinis and bruneipectus. The crown and tail are rather browner ; the tail obsoletely rayed darker. Theinner webs of the quills 38 A SECOND LIST OF THE BIRDS hair brown ; the whole upper plumage lax, and exactly that of Dumeticola afinis in texture ; plumage of rump and upper- tail very full, the latter reaching within 1:1 of end of tail; — lower surface brownish ochraceous, a little fulvous white down ‘the centre of the abdomen; the bases of the feathers of the throat white, showing through where these are disturbed. The sides and flanks much the same colour as the upper surface ; the lower tail-coverts rather paler and faintly margined, still paler at the tips ; the under surface of the tail very distinctly rayed, I might almost say barred, lichter and darker. Edge of the wing and wing-lining pale fulvous fawn; ear-coverts brownish rufous, many of the feathers with extremely narrow rufescent white shaft stripes. I myself should not separate this bird generically from Du- meticola afinis. Dumeticola, of Blyth, dates from 1845, and was founded on S. arundinacea, Lath., and is apparently synony- mous with Calamodyta, Mey. and Wolf., 1815. [Schenicola, Bly., (nec. Bp., 1851) dates from 1844. ] Now, neither our present bird nor D. affinis are congeneric with arundinacea, Lath., (nec. Lin., which is strepera, Vieill.), which, with its minute first primary, &c., is a clear Acrocephalus, and I think both birds must stand now as Schenicola. In size and general appearance our present birdis very like Savi’s Warbler, Pseudoluscinia luscinioides (wrongly united, as I think, by Mr. Dresser with Locustella), but it is rather deeper coloured above, and much more ochraceous rusty below. The wing in Savi’s Warbler is of course quite differently shaped, with a small almost Acrocephaline first primary, and the bill is longer, slenderer, less deep, straighter and less curved on the culmen. 470.—Oriolus kundoo, Sykes. 471.—Oriolus indicus, Jerd. | 473.—Oriolus ceylonensis, Bp. 8S. F., I, 439. Specimens of all these three species are sent, and they are said to be common, but only to ascend the hills in the cold season. 516.—Acrocephalus dumetorum, Blyth. A single specimen of this species is sent, obtained at My- nall, 7th March 1877, OF SOUTHERN TRAVANCORE, 39 *695.—Ploceus manyar, Horsf. Mr. Bourdillon remarks :— “Nota hill bird. I got these two specimens on a lake a few miles out of Trevandrum, the Vellarney lake, where there - were thousands in June just beginning to weave their nests amongst the reeds which formed floating islands in the lake.” *697.—Munia malacca, Zin. Another species from the same locality as the Weaver Birds, and also breeding in June. 795.—Turtur suratensis, Gm. Not uncommon. 355.—Lobivanellus indicus, Bodd. 856.—Lobipluvia malabarica, Bodd, 870.—Gallinago sthenura, ih. Of this latter species Mr. Bourdillon remarks :— <¢ This specimen was obtained by Mr. Ferguson at 4,000 feet. The Pintail Snipe occurs in the cold season, at all elevations ; it is very scarce at the higher elevations, and most abundant in the rice fields in the plains. About Trevandrum they are much more abundant than G. scolopacinus.”’ *902.—Porphyrio poliocephalus, Lath. Mr. Bourdillon says :— «* Obtained at the Vellarney lake, where they inhabit the reeds in great numbers, and though easy to shoot, are very difficult to retrieve. In June the birds appeared to be much more scarce than when I visited the place in March; but I heard numbers in the reeds, and I fancy they must have had nests in these. *924.—Ardea purpurea, Lin. Abundant at the Vellarney lake, and breeding there in June, 930.—Ardeola grayi, Sykes. Common everywhere. A. O. H. * The species to which an asterisk is prefixed ought not perhaps, strictly speaking, to be included in the list, as they were not obtained in the Southern Hill country about Mynall, where all Mr, Bourdillon’s other specimens haye been obtained. 40 Alotes on the sMidiicatton of some Burmese Birds, IT, By Evcene W. Oatss, C. E. In a previous number of this Journal (V., p. 14), I have recorded notes on the eggs and nests of such birds ag I had found nidificating in Burmah. The notes of a field natura- list accumulate so rapidly that they are liable in many cases to be overlooked after the lapse of time, or to form such an entangled mass of materials as to prevent him from ever re- perusing them with satisfaction. I, therefore, hasten to ab- stract into a concise form such further information, concern- ing the breeding of birds, as is contained in my note books. Before proceeding with the nests and eggs of those birds not before mentioned by me, I wish to add a few remarks re- lative to some birds, concerning which my information was meagre at the time the previous paper was written. 3.—Butastur liventer, Zem. (48 ter.) _ March 31st, Pegu.—Nest with two fresh eggs in a medium- sized tree. ‘The eges are rather smaller than those I took be- fore, measuring 1°73 and 1°75 by 1:45 in breadth. Color as before. (S. F., V., p. 142.) 9.—Coracias affinis, McClell. (124.) I was able to record the finding of young birds only in my previous notes. This year, 1878, I have taken numerous eggs. The eggs, four or five in number, are laid on the bare wood at the bottom of large natural hollows in decayed branches of large trees. ‘The holes selected are generally not less than 20 feet from the ground. The shell is pure white and ex- cessively glossy. My eges were taken from the 26th March to the 2nd April, and were in all cases either fresh or only slightly incubated. In size they vary from 1:49 to 1:26 in length, and from 1:13 to 1:07 in breadth. The average of 12 eggs is 1:37 by 1:09. (8. F., V., p. 143.) 15.—Xantholema hemacephala, Mill. (194.) Here again I was able to record the finding of young birds only. This year I took several clutches of eggs from the 6th March to the 5th April. (S. F., V., p. 144.) 90.—Arachnechthra flammaxillaris, Bl. (234 ter.) This bird appears to breed twice a year, if not oftener. I had found numerous nests in July and August, but this year NOTES ON THE NIDIFICATION, &c. Al I got two nests in March, one with young birds on the 16th, and one with two fresh egos on the 17th. In my former note I carelessly omitted to give the measurements of the eggs. In length they vary from 65 to ‘57, and in breadth from °48 to "41; the average of ten eggs is 6 by 45. (S.F., V., p. 148.) 21.—Upupa longirostris, Jerdon, (254 dis.) I succeeded in finding nests with eggs this year, One nest, found on the 10th March, contained two eggs quite fresh, and another found on the 7th April, three eggs, two of which were slightly incubated and the other addled. The nests in both instances were in natural hollows of large trees, and the eggs were placed on the bare wood. In color they are pale, spotless blue, and they measure on an average ‘91 by °67; two are quite without gloss, but three others are glossy to a very smallextent. (S. F., V., p. 149.) 30.—Timalia bengalensis, G. Aust, (396 bis.) Erroneously entered as pileata in my former list. This bird would appear to have two broods a year, for I procured two sittings, of three eggs each, this year in April, former nests hav- ing been found in June and July. With many eggs before me I find that the density of the markings varies considerably. The size is very constant; for the length of numerous eges varies only from ‘75 to °72, and the breadth from ‘6 to ‘54. (S. F., V., p. 152.) 92.—Pelecanus philippensis, Gm. (1004.) The only eggs I had of this species were some extracted from females shot in the Sittang River. Last November, however, it was my good fortune to visit a pelecanry which, for extent, is possibly not surpassed by any hitherto visited. On the 8th November 1877, I found myself at the pretty town of Shwaygheen, the head-quarters of the district of the same name. It is situated on the left bank of the Sittang about half way between Rangoon and Tounghoo. The country to the east of the river is everywhere very hilly, and the Sittang appears to have worked itself as far to the east as it is possible for it to get, for its further progress in that direction is pre- vented by bold projecting hills of laterite. The country to the west is, however, very different. It consists of an im- mense plain of indefinite length, extending to the west- ward to the foot of the Pegu Hills. Certain small tracts are cultivated, but the greater part of the plain is covered with elephant grass or forest, and intersected by numerous creeks choked up with drift and running nowhere in particular. 6 49 NOTES ON THE NIDIFICATION They all, however, ultimately discharge themselves into the Sittang. Considering that these creeks drain the whole eas- tern half of the Pegu Hills, and have no fall to speak of after entering the plain, it is not to be wondered at that the whole area now under notice should, during four or five months, viz., from July to October or November, be nothing but a most dismal swamp, inundated to the depth of ten feet im many parts. Such country is suited only for fishermen, and we accordingly find them very numerous. Indeed, the fish- eries in this plain yield a very large revenue and give employ- ment to large bodies of men. It is not, however, my inten- tion now to describe these fisheries nor the many ingenious methods employed to eatch the fish in shoals with the mini- mum of labour. I merely wish to give some idea of the coun- trv in which Pelicans find a suitable home. Leaving Shwaygheen with my friend, Mr. Hough, the Deputy Commissioner, we dropped down the Sittang for about ten miles till we reached the mouth of the Hsa-zay Creek on the right bank. We proceeded up this stream till evening when we landed at a fishery to dine. We, however, found the smell so bad that we pushed out into the stream to sleep. Next morning we reached Kadat, a small village where we expected to find the Pelicans. A well-built Burmese house afforded us comfortable quarters. The whole stream from the Sittang to Kadat runs through beautiful forest with spare undergrowth, and in many places the stream narrowed so much that we had carefully to pick a way for the boat between the trees. Immense flocks of Peli- eans and Adjutants were flying in circles over our heads the whole day. Monkeys were very common, and I saw more specimens of Polioaetus ichthyaetus during this trip than I have during the whole of my residence in Burmah. We arrived too late in the day to do anything, but in the afternoon, strolling out, we saw a good many Adjutants’ nests, but it was not easy to climb the trees. On the morning of the 11th I started early with several Burmans into the forest. The floods had gone down, but the ground was very muddy, and in many places, for long distances, the water came up to my knees. Hvery quarter of a mile there was a depression or nullah to be crossed, and I soon gave up any idea I might have had of keeping myself dry. Walk- ing was very laborious, for though there was no undergrowth or jungle to speak of, yet the roots of trees embedded in mud and water caused me frequently to trip up. The whole forest consisted of very large trees, but a portion, about one in twenty, was made up of wood-oil trees, gigantic OF SOME BURMESE BIRDS, II. 43 fellows, 150 feet high and more, and with a smooth branchless trunk of 80 to 100 feet. These are the trees selected by the Pelicans. I was out that day till 3 P.u., continually moving, and must have walked at least twenty miles in various directions, but never from first to last was I out of sight of either a Pelican’s or Adjutant’s nest. From what I saw, and from what the Bur- mans told me, I compute the breeding place of these birds to extend over an area about twelve miles long and five broad. I shall describe the Adjutants’ nests presently, but with re- gard to the Pelicans’ I noticed that no tree contained less than three nests, and seldem more than fifteen. Some birds select the upper branches, placing their nest in a fork, but others, the majority, placed their nests on the nearly horizontal branches of the tree not far from the trunk. In all cases, the nests on one branch touch each other, and when these nests were on a horizontal branch, they looked like enormous beads, Judging from the size of the bird I should say the nest is about two feet diameter, and when ina fork, to be about eight- een inches deep. Others on flat branches were shailower. They are composed entirely of twigs and small branches, and I could detect no lining in those nests which were thrown down to me. ‘ The eggs are invariably three in number, and on the 11th November all I took were either fresh or only slightly incubat- ed. The female bird sits very closely, and frequently I found that the bird would not fly off her eggs till I fired a gun. It was a most ludicrous sight to see the sitting birds stretch neck and ae out of the nest to have a look at us, as often hap- pened. : The only trees which the Burmans can climb on the spur of the moment are those which their arms can encircle. To be able to climb any tree it is necessary to make bamboo spikes the day before. ‘These are driven into the trunk as the man mounts, and the operation, even for the tallest tree, does not take very long. Notwithstanding the millions of birds which breed in this forest, a most wonderful silence prevails. The Pelican seems to be perfectly mute, and the Adjutants only bellow at intervals. The only sound which is constantly heard, and after a time even this sound passes unnoticed, is a sort of Alolian harp caused by the movement of the wings of innumerable birds high in alr. The eges of this Pelican are pure-white at first. As incuba- tion proceeds they change toa brown, and before hatching, become in some cases almost black. In texture, they are very 44 NOTES ON THE NIDIFICATION chalky, and when the outer coat of chalk is scratched or remov- ed, the inner shell is smooth and white. The inner lining of the egg is white, and consequently the eggs of the Pelican can never be mistaken for those of either of the Adjutants, in which the lining is dark green. In shape, the eggs are rather long and narrow, equally pointed at both ends. The largest egg I have measures 3°3 in length and 2:08 in breadth, and the small- est, 2°95 by 2:05. Looking at a large number they appear more uniform in size than most eggs of large birds. The following notes refer to those birds, the nests and eggs of which have been taken by me recently. Among them are six species, about the nidification of which I can find nothing on record :— Syrnium seloputo, Horsf. Paleornis bengalensis, Gm.* Ixos davisoni, Hume. Sturnia nemoricola, Jerd. Glareola orientalis, Leach. Leptoptilos javanicus, Horsf. 97.—Milvus govinda, Sykes. (56). There are three distinct species of Kites in Lower Pegu. M. melanotis, a huge bird with the basal half of the primaries white, and the general tone of the plumage bright reddish brown, is tolerably common during the cold weather in the neighbour- hood of fisheries. JZ. affinas, the second species, is the most common, being found evervwhere. The whole of the primaries in this bird is brown or black, with only some very insignificant white mottlings at the bases under the coverts, quite invisible when the bird is flying. Then there is the third species, the same size as afinis, but with the bases of the primaries con- spicuously white, but much less so than in melanotis. This I identify with govinda. I am aware that Mr. Hume states (S. F., L., p. 161,) that afinis and govinda differ only in the former being of duller tints and of smaller size, leaving the reader to infer that the amount of white in both birds is equally developed on the primaries. Mr. Sharpe, however, in his diagnosis of species of this genus (Cat. 1, p. 319) points out how the two birds are to be separated, and my specimens bear out his statement. I have some young birds, however, the identifi- cation of which is difficult. I found a nest of govinda on the 81st January with three eggs, (N. and H,, p. 52). * Should stand as P. cyanocephalus, Lin,—Ep. OF SOME BURMESE BIRDS, II. 45 98.—Syrnium seloputo, Horsf, (65 dvs.) I have not been fortunate enough to get the eggs of this species, but I have twice found the young birds. The eggs appear to be laid on the bare wood in the fork of a large peepul tree at no great distance from the ground. A young bird, about one month old, and just able to fly, was taken on the 20th April, and another one rather younger, on the 24th March. Eggs should, therefore, be looked for at the end of February and the commencement of March. 99.—Ketupa ceylonensis, Gm. (72.) Nest in a fork of a large tree ten feet fromthe ground. Two young birds about one month old. March, 3ist (N. and K. p., 64.) 100.—Scops lettia, Hodg. ('75.) March 24th—tThis bird selects a small hole in medium- sized trees. T'wo nests, each with three young birds, varying in age from a fortnight to three weeks. (N. & E., p. 67.) 101.—Dichoceros cavatus, Shaw. (140.) The mode of nidification of this and other Hornbills is now so well known that, being unable to visit the forests where these birds breed in great numbers, I felt no hesitation in sending a Burman to take the eggs for me instead of going myself. He brought me four eggs and the heads of two females with the following account: He found many nests, but could induce the Karens to climb only twotrees. Both were wood-oil trees. The nests in both cases were placed in a decayed hole at the spring of the first branches, in one case at about 60 feet from the ground, and in the other somewhat higher. Pieces of the materials with which the holes were closed appear to be composed of dung and earth, with which are incorporated seeds of the peepul fig and bits of leaves and sticks. The two sitting birds were captured, and the heads are easy to identify with those of females of this species, the bills of the males being different. Each nest contained two eggs, one set quite fresh, the other on the point of hatching. The measure, 2°84, 2:6, 2-4 and 2°75 in length by 185, 1:9, 1:8 and 1:8 in breadth, respectively. The shell is rough and without gloss. One egg is pure white, two others, one fresh and one incubated, are a uniform pale yellow, and the fourth eggis white, with numerous small yellowish dots where the outer shell is disintegrated. The eggs were taken on the 22nd March. (N. & E., p. 111.) 46 NOTES ON THE NIDIFICATION 102.—Hydrocissa albirostris, Shaw. (142.) The same man on the 20th March procured one egg of this species. The egg was hatched a few moments before it reached me. It measured 1°8 % 1:3, and was a deep reddish brown. Its natural colour was originally white I should think. On the 22nd March, my man again took a nest, killing the female and bringing me the head. The eggs were three in number, pure white and rather glossy. They were well incu- bated and difficult to blow. The nest was also ina wood-oil tree about 90 feet from the ground in a cavity among the lower branches. These three eggs measure 1°81, 1:76 and 1:75 by 1:35, 1°3 and 1:25, respectively. (S. F., V., p. 84.) 103.—Aceros subruficollis, Blyth. (146 bis.) The same man on the same date, viz., the 22nd March, found a nest of this species. Like the others it was placed ina wood-oil tree about 70 feet from the ground. It contained only one egg, which was nearly hatched. In color it is a dull white without any gloss, and the shell is rather rough to the touch. It measures 2°25 by 1°5. These dimensions agree well with Mr. Theobald’s. (N & &., p. 115.) 104.—Paleornis bengalensis, Gm. (149 67s.) Nest with four eggs well incubated in a hole of a tree about six feet from the ground. The hole was a foot deep, very roomy, but the entrance, which had been enlarged by the bird, was only large enough to admit its body. The eggs were laid on the bare wood. Although the sitting bird was poked at with a stick, and it took fully half an hour to enlarge the hole in order to take the eggs, yet the bird could not be induced to quit the nest, and eventually had to be dragged out. When disturbed with the stick the female made a noise like the hissing of asnake. These eggs were taken on the 22nd February. . On the 2nd March two fresh eggs were taken from another hole, and on the 16th March another nest was found also with two eggs well incubated. The eggs are of course pure white, rather glossy when fresh, but becoming dull with incubation. The eggs measure from -97 to ‘95 in length, and from 85 to ‘8 in breadth. 105.—Diczum cruentatum, Lin. (236.) I have taken many nests of this bird from the 2nd March to the 9th April. The number of eggs is either two or three, just as often one as the other. The eggs are pure-white with- out any gloss, and are rather pointed at one end. They vary OF SOME BURMESE BIRDS, Il. 47 in size from ‘58 to ‘55 in length, and from ‘42 to ‘38 in breadth. . The nest is generally built in mango trees, but other trees, specially if the leaves are large and drooping, are also used. It is placed at all heights from the ground, from twelve feet to the summits of the highest trees. The nest is suspended from an outside twig, and is so surrounded by leaves that it is almost invisible. When once the female begins to sit, all efforts to find the nest would, I believe, be useless. It is only by watching the little birds carrying materials, which they do incessantly and with a constant twitter, that I and my shikaree have been able to secure the nests. To say that the nest is most beautiful is only to say what is applicable to the nests of all the Honey-suckers. The nest of this little bird is simply exquisite when newly built. It measures no more than four inches in total height, and one nest I have is only 33. It is egg-shaped, slightly pointed at the upper end, where it is attached to the branch. Its external diameter is two inches. The entrance is circular, three quarter inches diameter, and placed just midway between the top and bottom of the nest. The egg chamber is small, the walls of the nest being of considerable thickness. The bulk of the nest is made of the finest vegetable down of dazzling whiteness resembling spun glass ; and exteriorly the nest is kept firm by being bound round with fine grass, which is twisted into a rope at the lower edge of the entrance. At the back of one nest there are few patches of excreta of caterpillars, and in another, four dry blossoms of some shrub are stuck to the back of the nest. As arule, however, no ornamentation is attempted. (N. and E., p. 155.) 106.—Ixos davisoni, Hume. (452 quat.) I believe this name has priority over annectans of Lord Walden. A nest of this bird was found on the Ist June, and another on 6th of the same month, both containing two fresh eggs each. The females, which were shot off the nest, showed, however, no signs on dissection of being about to lay more. The nest is a flimsy structure built of the stems of small weeds and lined with grass. A few fine black tree roots are twisted round the inside of the egg chamber. The outside and inside diameters measure four and three inches, and the depths are similarly three and one quarter. Both nests were placed low down about four feet from the ground—one in a bush and the other in a creeper. The two pairs of eggs vary much in size. Two are °92 and "88 by °60 and ‘65, and the other two ‘83 and °82 by °65 and 48 NOTES ON THE NIDIFICATION *61 ; the ground color of allis a pinkish white. In one pair the shell blotches of washed-out purple are spread over the whole ege, and the surface spots and dashes of carneous red are also equally spread over the whole shell. In the other pair the shell marks are grouped round the larger end to form a broad rine, and the whole egg is thickly speckled and spotted with brighs reddish. The eggs are very slightly glossy. rf 107.—Oriolus melanocephalus, (472.) 3 My nests of this Oriole have been found in March, April, and May, but I have no doubt they also breed in June. No details appear necessary. (N. and E., p. 801.) 108.—Prinia hodgsoni, Blyth. (538.) Nest with three fresh eggs on the 19th August; no details appear necessary except the colour of theeggs, since this bird appears to lay two kinds of eggs. My eggs are very glossy, of a light blue, speckled with minute dots of reddish brown, oe say so at the large end than elsewhere. (N. and E., p. 342. 109.—Sturnia malabarica, Gm. (688.) 110.—Sturnia nemoricola, Jerd. (689 quat.) Both these birds are equally common throughout Lower Pegu. Mr. Hume (S. F., IV., p. 333) wishes to unite the two. The two birds, however, although they associate in the same flock and have a general superficial resemblance to each other, are quite distinct. Apart from the fact that memoricola has the winglet and primary coverts always with some white on them varying in extent with age, and maladarica never has a single white feather on those parts, there is another constant and never-failing* point of difference between them, and this lies in the colour of the spurious first primary. In nemoricola it is always white; in malabarica it is always black. I have avery large series of both birds, and this distinction always serves to separate with precision those birds which are white, _ or have some portion of white on the winglet and primary coverts, and on the other hand those birds which have no white on those parts. As to the amount of white in nemoricola I am convinced itis only a matter of age. But no bird, however young, with a white spurious first primary, is without at * This distinction does out hold good; we have several unmistakeable nemoricola, white on wing, pale under surface, with this spurious primary black. I have fully ‘discussed the question of these races, S. F., VI., 390, which, though printed nine months ago, had not been issued when Mr. Oates wrote—A. O. H. ; OF SOME BURMESE BIRDS, II. 49 least one white feather on the coverts. On the other hand no bird with a black spurious first primary has ever a white feather on the wing. Even if one could be found it would not invali- date my diagnosis, for all these Mynahs are subject to albinism. If we take newly-moulted birds of the two species, we shall find that while malabarica has the lower plumage almost a deep chestnut, in nemoricola those parts are never more than a palish ferruginous, tinged in the case of very old birds with most beautiful rose colour. These birds feed much in lone grass, and the feathers below are soon worn short. Nature has, however, provided them with two moults a year, and really splendid specimens of nemoricola are only to be obtained about March and October. Both these Mynahs lay in _ holes of trees at all heights above 20 feet. They, asa rule, select holes which are difficult of access. The eggs are laid on a small pad of grass and leaves, the nest having no defined shape. ‘The only nest of malabarica that I have actually taken contained three eggs slightly incubat- ed ; this was on the 13th May. They measure ‘86 x ‘7, °8 x °7, and °83x°72. Of nemoricola I have taken two sets of eggs, one of two eggs fresh, and one of three on the point of being hatched ; the former on 12th May, the latter on 6th June. In size the two clutches vary extraordinarily. The first two eggs measure °82 x62 and °85x-°63; the second lot measure 1:0L x‘7, 1:0 x 7g Chatel HO) seers In both species the eggs are very glossy, and the color is the same, viz., an uniform dark greenish blue, of much the same tint as Acridotheres tristis. (N. and E., p. 433.) 111.—Glareola orientalis, Zeach. (842.) I have found eggs of this species from the 16th April to the Ist May, on which latter date some eggs were fresh, but others much incubated. ‘Three appears to be the maximum number of eggs, but two only are more frequently laid. The eggs are deposited on the bare ground, burnt up sandy paddy fields being much frequented. No great number of birds breed to- gether, nor have [ ever found two nests very close to each other. The finding of eggs is consequently very laborious work. When disturbed, the sitting bird flies round one’s head for a short time and then goes away. But when the young are lying hid, then the birds display great anxiety, and it is on these occa- sions that the bird squats on the ground with wings outspread | and neck stretched out. I fancy this action is meant to coun- terfeit lameness, and so draw the intruder off the scent. ». The young bird runs as soon as it is hatched. Its colour is a mixed pepper and salt, the black preponderating. wi 50 NOTES ON THE NIDIFICATION The eggs are undistinguishable in everything but size from those of the Burmese Lapwing. They are quite different from those of G. lactea. The ground color is buff or stone color, and the whole shell is thickly blotched with blackish brown, and underlying smears of paler brown sunk into the shell. Other eggs are so thickly blotched as to appear black when viewed at a short distance off. They are without gloss and Plover-like ; _ one end of the egg is much pointed.* In size they vary from 1:25 to 1:12 in length, and from -96 to ‘9 in breadth, but the average of a considerable series is 1:18 by ‘93. (N. and E,, p- 968.) 112.—Esacus recurvirostris, Cuv. (£58.) : Nest on May Ist with two fresh eggs in fallow land. No details appear to be necessary. (N. and &i., p. 579.) 113.—Leptoptilos giganteus, Morst. (915.) Along with the Pelicans, breeding in the same trees, were innumerable Adjutants. One can hardly realize the number of these birds that visit Pegu in October, unless, as I have, he has seen the vast armies which settle on the plains on their first arrival. I have stood on a bund where I could see about two miles round me, and the whole area was literally covered with them. Some fifty birds stand huddled together ; then there is a bare space of about 100 feet, and then ‘another group.of birds. Their numbers are incredible. They all arrive suddenly in the Pegu plain on the same day, and after resting for about two days, they betake themselves to the forest where I had the pleasure of visiting them. Certainly almost all the Indian Adjutants must come to Pegu to breed. On the same day we took the Pelican’s eggs, we also paid attention to the Adjutants, but whereas in the case of the . Pelicans by climbing one tree you procure almost as many eggs as you care to have; with the Adjutants it is different. Fre- quently there is only a solitary nest in a tree, rarely two or three, and in this case the tree selected is a stupendous one, with immense branches reaching 50 feet from the trunk and mostly horizontal. These nests are not to be got at even by * This is especially noteworthy as showing that, in its eggs, this species diverges widely, not only from G. lactea, but from its extremely closely allied congener, Gla- reola pratincola, Lin. The eggs of the former fully described, N. and H., 568, are not in the least Plover-like but rather Tern-like, and of the latter Mr. Hewitson says of the egg: “ In shape and colour they bear a much closer resemblance to the eggs of the Black Tern, than to those of any other British bird; they are not at all like the pointed eggs of the true Waders.” By which he here means to refer to the Plovers, Godwits, Snipes, &c,.—A. O. H. OF SOME BURMESE BIRDS, II. ol Karens. Fortunately the nests are so frequent that there is no difficulty, in the course of a morning, in finding accessible ones in plenty. November 11th was a trifle too early. Many nests were still being built; others had no eggs in them, and only a few had the full complement of three eggs. The nest is made entirely of coarse sticks, and it is of such a size that the sitting bird cannot be seen from below, except when she stretches her head out. It is wedged into a fork as near the exterior of the tree as possible whether at the top or side. bak ; The eges, three in number, are originally pure white and tolerably, in some specimens very, smooth to the touch. As incubation proceeds the shell gets much stained and becomes a dark earth brown. The interior lining is very dark green. They are very regular ovals, much the same shape at both ends. Size from 3:1 to 2°82 by 2°25 to 2:08. These Adjutants utter only one sound, and it resembles the lowing of a cow when separated from her calf. It was the only sound heard in these gloomy forests. (N. & E., p. 605.) - 114.—Leptoptilos javanicus, Horsf. (916). While taking some nests of Z. giganteus, I sent some of the party to look for accessible trees. They misunderstood me, and finding a tree which could be climbed, a man ascended and took two egss, which he brought me as the eggs of the Hair-crested Adjutant. I failed to see any of these birds myself, but they are common enough in the same forest, for subsequently I pro- eured young birds which I am now rearing. I see no reason to doubt the authenticity of the eggs. I was in the forest only one morning. and might easily have failed to notice this species. Tn fact the Burmans told me it was too early for them, as they breed later than the Pouched Adjutant. The two eggs measure 3°16 and 2°98 by 2°25 and 2-2, res- pectively. These dimensions are rather larger than the largest egg of giganteus I procured. In color they are precisely the same. ‘his year I hope to get more reliable specimens. 115.—Xenorhynchus asiaticus, Lath. (917). The breeding of this bird is well known. In the Pegu plains they select an isolated tree and make a large nest near the summit. Qn the Ist December I took two eggs, and on the 6th January a clutch of four. Young birds reared from the nest are now (June) moulting into the adult plumage. (N. & E., _P. 607.) 52 THE BIRDS OF A DROUGHT. 116.—Ardetta sinensis, Gm. (934). Common as this bird is, its nest is one of the most difficult - to find, and when found, to secure. It selects the matted léaves of immense reeds, and places its nests on the summit where wind and rain have entangled the leaves and worked them into a platform. The nest itself is a mere pad of dry grass and leaves. I have only taken one nest, which contained four eggs. They are without gloss and a pale green color. They measure 1°26, 1:31, 1:3, and 1:28 by -95, -95, -97 and -93, respectively. _They were found on the 20th August and were fresh. (N. & E., p.. 623.) 117.—Nettapus coromandelianus, Gm. (951.) Nest with ten eggs on the 15th September in the hole of a mango tree about 30 feet from the ground. (N. & E., p. 638.) Ghe Bids of a Drought. THE general geographical range of any species may be assumed to have been defined, either by physical barriers, past or present, which were impassable to it, such as lofty chains of mountains, seas, &c., or by the pressure of conditions un- favourable to its existence, configural, climatic, nutritive or competitive. Under configural conditions, [ include all local terrestrial features. Station implies a combination of such features favour- able to the existence of the particular species in question, and an absence of such features is a potential factor in the limi- tation of range. Geographical range and station are often sharply contrasted ; vange is used as expressing the entire area on the world’s surface (as determined by a multiplicity of causes) over which the species is spread with more or less continuity ; station is used to signify the particular local areas (determined by terres- trial features orly) which the species affects. Thus of the Osprey, the range would be defined as “ the whole of the Old and New Worlds except part of South America,’ the station as “ the banks and coasts of more or less consider- able aggregations of water, running or standing, fresh or salt, and their immediate neighbourhoods.” All local terrestrial features, not comprehensible in the ex- pression “‘ its station,” are prima facie “ configural’”’ conditions unfavourable to the existence of the particular species. THE BIRDS OF A DROUGHT. 5a Climatic conditions (temperature, rainfall and the like) nutritive conditions, (nature and extent of food supplies, and degrees of facility with which they can be obtained), these latter very often mainly dependent on: the former, and com- petitive conditions (in which I include the absence or presence, not only of races consuming the same food, but also those actively hostile), all combine with configural conditions to determine range. These different classes of conditions operate with very vary- ing degrees of potentiality where different classes of animated life are concerned; and even in the same class, in the case of different families, and at times even genera. , In tropical and sub-tropical climates, probably no one factor exercises so powerful an influence over the distribution of land birds {as opposed to shore and water birds)as the rainfall. Our rainfall charts have not yet been worked out in sufficient detail to enable me to present the matter in a complete shape, but we have enough data to show to what a remarkable extent the average annual rainfall influences the distribution of a vast number of species. You find a species plentiful in a certain region, of which the average annual rainfall is, say 100 inches and over ; leaving this region the species is perhaps absolutely wanting for a thousand miles, and then you re-enter an iso-ombral* tract and straightway your species re-appears. Hitherto, while tracts have been classed according to average temperature and half a dozen other averages, very little, if any, attempt has been made, in this country, to class them according to average rainfall, and yet in tropical and sub-tropical regions, at any rate throughout this vast empire, nothing so distinctly governs distribution. It is customary to talk of the Malayan facies, of the Fauna of the Malabar Coast, the Assamboo Hills and part of Ceylon; what is this but that im these localities you recover the heavy rainfall of the Malay Peninsular? How the same species or represen- tative forms found their way to these distant localities is another question, but their survival in each is due primarily to the extent of the rainfall. What gives such a plains of India facies to the dry upper portions of Pegu,.but the light average rainfall? What allows the Indo-Malayan species to run up westward along the feet, of the Himalayas, at any rate as far as the Ganges, but the heavy rainfall ? * ouPgos=rain. ' 54 THE BIRDS OF A DROUGHT. Map the whole country out carefully into iso-ombrie zones and patches, and of a vast number of tropical and sub-tropical species, you can at once map out the exact distribution. No doubt there are some species, to whom wide variations in rainfall seem to signify nothing, others that an almost total absence of rainfall fails to banish, and it is a matter of much interest to determine which these species and genera are. During the last cold season I remained for nearly a month at J odhpoor ; and as this place, besides having normally a rainfall of only about 6 inches, had, during the previous 15 months, had mo rain at all, only two or three times little attempts at showers insufficient even to lay the dust, it occurred to me that an exact record of the birds actually then present, between January 15th and February 15th, in this rainless and waterless entourage micht be both interesting and useful. Accordingly I collected most carefully. Not only was I out each morning at daylight, searching vigorously for birds for some three hours, but I had out two natives, well trained to the work, shooting all day. I doubt very much if asingle species then present within a radius of from eight to ten miles from the town escaped us. The tract worked was a nearly level semi-desert sandy plain, dotted about at rare intervals, with tiny patches of culti- vation, and here and there studded with low hills of bare rock (on one of which Jodhpoor stands) from one to three hundred feet in height. The rest of the plainis more or less thinly covered with stunted or dwarf thorny scrub, intersper- sed with bare sand, or congeries of wind-waved blown-sand hillocks. In tiny valleys of the rocky hills, a few small artificial tanks still held water, but not a drop of this was to be found elsewhere, and a large proportion of the wells were dry. Te ever there was an unpromising field for an ornithologist it was here; and yet not only were a good many species to be found, but two or three of these, species of some interest. I will now subjoin a list of the species obtained, with such few remarks as these seem to call for. 2.—Otogyps calvus. 5.—Pseudogypsbengalensis. 6.—Neo- phron ginginianus. 11.—Falco jugger, rare. 16.—Falco chiquera. 17.—Cerchneis tinnuncula, rare. 29.—Aquila vindhiana. 45—Buteo ferox, rather scarce. 56.—Milvus govinda. 72.—Ketupa ceylonensis, only one single specimen seen and shot. 76.—Athene brama. 82.—Hirundo rustica. 90.—Ptyonoproene concolor, rare. 117.—Merops viridis, scarce. 129.—Haleyon smyrnensis, very rare; only seen at the little tanks above referred to. 148.—Palornis THE BIRDS OF A DROUGHT. 55 torquatus. 160.—Picus mahrattensis. 234.—Arachnechthra asiatica, short billed and green, closely approaching the brevirostris form. 254—Upupa epops. 256.—Lanius lahtora. 277 —Pericrocotus erythropygius. 278.—Buchanga atra. 292—Leucocerca aureola, rare. 436.—Malacocercus malcolmi, very common, 438.—Chatorbea caudata, do., fairly typical and not approaching huttoni. 459—Otocompsa leucotis. 462.— Molpastes hemorrhous. 480.—Thamnobia cambaiensis, fairly typical. 481.—Pratincola caprata, very common. 485 bis.—Pratincola macrorhyncha, Séol. J. A.S. B., XLI., 238, 1872, juv.—S. F., IV, 40, ». Descr. —_S. F., V., 132, 241, 244. P. rubetraoides, Jam. Jerd. B. of In., App., 872, 1864, sine descr. (Dresser, B. of Kur., Pt. XXIV., 1873, sine descr.) Hume, 8. F., V., 240, 1877, Desor. adult. P. rubetra ? Hume, Ibis, 1869, 355 ; 1871, 28. P. jamesoni, Hume, 8. F., V., 239, 1877. Disrrisution.—Punjab, (Gosrgaon, Umballa, Sirsa, Hansi, Shahpoor, and probably all western districts); Rajpootana, (Jodhpoor, Bickanir, Jeysalmir) ; Northern Guzerat, Cutch, Sindh (Thurr and Pakhur districts, and probably elsewhere.) This species was extremely abundant in the thin, stunted scrub jungle, that here and there studs the sandy, semi-desert, waterless tracts which occur all round Jodhpoor. I procured a large series, and I satisfied myself beyond a possibility of doubt that Stoliczka’s and Jameson’s birds pertain to the same species. It seems highly improbable, and I state the fact with diffi- dence, but according to my sexing (and I sexed 33 birds), the adult males and females are alike, and constitute rubetraoides, while the birds of the year are macrorhyncha. All my birds were killed at the end of January and during the first week in February, when the weather was singularly cold, and the generative organs were entirely undeveloped, and in most specimens traceable with great difficulty, and I may be in error. But in my large series I have just as many males as females in both forms, and the close similarity of both sexes was what I had years previously ascertained, to the best of my belief, in the case of the adults (rubetraoides) in the Punjab, so that for the present I think we must accept the conclusion that the young of both sexes are alike, and are the birds Stoliczka named macrorhyncha, while the adults equally (at any rate in the cold season) are alike, and represent rubetraoides. 56 THE BIRDS OF A DROUGHT. I have pointed out (S. F., V., 239,) how this species differs from the European rubetra, and I have very fully described the adults, (S. F., V., 140). I may add the following dimen- sions recorded in the flesh of five (as they proved on dissection) females, two in the rubetraoides and three in the macrorhyncha plumage:— Date. Length. Expanse. Tail. Wing. Tarsus. B. fr. gape. 2, rubetraoides plu. ... 27-1 5°85 9:4, 20 305 O09 O71 : Do. do. ... 27-1 587 9:4, 2:05 2°96 0:97 0:66 9, macrorhyncha, plu... 25-1 5°85 91 Beil Ag) 1:05 0-76 Do. do. ... 27-1 5°73 9:0 21 30 1:0 4-68 Oe, dey any EL Se OO SD, OOS = OE Bills black to brownish black ; legs, feet and claws black. I said (V., 241) that I had no idea what the breeding plum- age might be like, and thatthe birds must breed in Central Asia. Imay now mention that two or three of both my males and females have the lower parts of the lores, cheeks, ear-coverts and entire sides of the throat (leaving only a narrow pure white stripe down the centre of the throat) black, the feathers only a little tipped with pale sandy, which doubtless in the breeding season entirely disappears; also that the lesser and median and the secondary greater wing-coverts and the winglet have become nearly black, only very narrowly edged with sandy buff, which colour also seems in the course of disappearing. Also I may say that I am now by no means sure from fur- ther enquiries that this 2s a migratory species. One would naturally suppose it to be so, but natives (who are, however, not to be relied on in regard to any small birds) assured me that they breed in Jodhpoor during the scanty rainy season (only about 4 to 6 inches rainfall) that they have there. The young are fully described, S. F., 40 2, and I have already (V., 241) clearly pointed out the differences between these and what I now believe to be the adults. I say, now believe, because I must go by my own specimens, but I may mention that a year ago my friend Mr. Blanford told me that he believed macrorhyncha was only the female of rubetraoides, and primd facie looking to the differences. that exist in the two sexes of other species, this would be most pro- bable. In habits this species does not differ from P. edica. I found it always perched on some exposed spray, at or near the top of some stunted, thorny bush. I found nothing but insects recognizable in the stomachs of those I examined, though in several there was nearly digested matter that might have been the pulp of seeds. I never heard it sing or attempt to sing, but it has alittle sharp chip chip note, which I now and then caught. THE BIRDS OF A DROUGHT. OW 488.—Saxicola opistholeuca. 489.—Saxicola picata. Not one single specimen of what Blan- ford and Dresser call morto, and what I believe to be a different form, the old adult, of this species. The case is clear, the old birds were not to be caught with chaff; Jodhpoor this year was much too dry and husky for them, though in other years, when such a drought does not prevail, they are not uncommon here. 491,—Saxicola isabellina. 491 bis.—Saxicola chrysopygia, De Fil. ? S. kingi, Hume. Ibis, 1871, 29.—S. F., L., 187. DEwcr. I have already fully described this species, loc. cit. I very much doubt the correctness of Messrs. Blanford’s and Dresser’s identification of my bird with De Filippi’s. The latter preserved no specimens, (or these have been lost), and we have only his description to go by, and the fact that kingt has been procured in Beloochistan and in Persia, but not as yet in the locality (not since explored), “the highest and most stony parts of the Hills that encircle Demavend,” whence De Filippi obtained his chrysopygia, is certainly not conclusive as to the identity of the two species. The following is De Filippi’s original description (Arch. Zool. Genov. II., 381, 1863). DromoLaa cHrysopyelA, De Fil. . “ Capite, colle, dorso supremo cinereo plumbeis ; dorso infimo Suscescente ; uropygis tectricibusque caude (elongatis) albescentt flavidis, sensim in rubiginoso vertentibus ; collo infime, pectoreque supremo cinerascentibus ; ceterum infra sordide alba ; crisso levis- sume rubiginoso tincto, remigibus fusco-cinereis, secundariis eatus rubiginoso marginatis ; rectricibus fulvo-rubiginosis, versus apicem nigris, limbo eatremo denus rubtginoso. “Tl nero sub fondo rossa della coda é esteso per la terza parte delle timoniere laterali, ma nelle due mediane per la meta.” Now to my idea the very first sentence is fatal to the identi- fication. I have alarge series, and in not one is there a trace of leaden ashy on the upper surface, which is a pale earthy brown ; then the rump and upper tail-coverts cannot possibly be desig- nated “ whitish yellow gently inclining to ruddy” as they are invariably a bright rufous fawn. Nor are the quills brownish ashy, but deep hair brown, nor are the secondaries ever mar- gined with rufous, nor are the proportions of the black and red ef the tail as stated by De Filippi; only about 4 of the lateral 8 58 THE BIRDS OF A DROUGHT. tail feathers at most (in some less) and more than one-half of the median ones, being black in kingt. Of course chrysopygia is some bird of this type, but in the absence of any types, the description agrees so ill with king: that T see no fair grounds whatsoever for the identification, and, were the species not my own, should reject De Filippi’s name unhesi- tatingly. 492.—Saxicola deserti. 494.—Cercomela fusca. 497.—Ruticilla rufiventris, rare. 550.-—Burnesia gracilis. 551.—Franklinia buchanani; both these last very common. 581.—Sylvia jerdoni, rare. ; 582.—Sylvia affinis. This was excessively common, as was also the very small form that I designated (S. F., I., 198.) 583 ¢er.—Sylvia minula. At the time I conferred this name I was disposed to consider it a mere race, but this year, observing it closely, I noticed that its habits were those of S. nana rather than of S. affinis ; that it kept much to the ground, running in and out of the roots of the bushes, like a small sand rat, just as nana does. Indeed I was continually shooting it for nana, whereas I never shot a sin- gle affinis by mistake. Further, close inspection has led me to suspect that it may perhaps be a good species, and in this view Mr. Brooks, who is well known, has paid special attention to this group, and to whom I sent several specimens entirely concurs. He says in epist :— “ Your Little White Throat is neither afinis nor garrula, but a really good species. Its wing is rounder than either, 2=7 or 7/8, against 2=5 and2=6. It 1s much smaller too, and almost as brown on the back as delicatula (nana).” In another letter : “The Little White Throat isa very good thing, no race, but a clearly distinct species. Little bill, pale sandy color, much smaller size and much rounder wing, are differences sufficient to separate any birds of this group.” To this I must add difference of habits, in which it coincides with nana and not with afinis, and a difference in distribution, it being, I believe, entirely confined to the desert country— Sindh, Bhawulpur, and Western Rajpootana. But it is not to be disputed that great practical difficulties exist in separating in the cabinet, specimens of the different races or species of White Throats that occur in India. When a really large series, such as our Museum contains, is got together and carefully compared, one generally comes to the conclusion that it is impossible to separate these races. This was the THE BIRDS OF A DROUGHT. 59 conclusion I came to 8. F., I., 198, where I fully characterized the three races. Yet formerly in the field, and again this year ob- serving them alive and free, I was fully impressed with their dis- tinctness. Now again reviewing only specimens, I find many of my old difficulties arise. So far as one can see, the birds do not associate ; their habits are recognizably distinct; typical specimens of each are equally - recognizably distinct, but when one overhauls a hundred or so, a certain number, small it is true, but still an appreciable propor- tion of the whole, appear, which, in one way or another, connect together, so far as color, size, and proportions of the primaries go, the three supposed species. Mr. Brooks remarks on Sylvia afinis and curruca (S. F., IL., 332; III., 272), and Captain Butler’s (8. F., ILI., 487) will be re- membered and referred to. Mr. Dresser’s article on S. curruca, Birds of Europe, Pts. 47 and 48, March 1876, p. 4, should also be consulted. ~ Mr. Brooks pointed out, loc. cit. sup., that our Indian White Throats differed from the European Sylvia curruca in the shape of the wing. The 2nd primary being in the European bird equal to the 5th or 4/5th or 4th, whereas in the Indian bird the 2nd primary is never longer than the 6th. Now I consider that this point, first noticed by Mr. Brooks, is a good and constant point of difference. I have nine English specimens of S. curruca before me; in seven of these the 2nd equals the 5th, in one it is intermediate between the 4th and 5th, and in one it is inter- mediate between the 5th and 6th, but nearer the 5th. I have also before me one hundred and sixteen perfect winged (I omit those that are imperfect) Indian White Throats, and in not one single specimen is the 2nd primary longer than the 6th. I think it is, therefore, allowable on the strength of this ap- parently perfectly constant difference in the wing formula to assume that the European and Indian White Throats are distinct. Reverting now to my original remarks on this group (S. F., J., 197,) I still find, as I then did, that there are three recog- nizable races in India, but whereas I called the 2nd or interme- diate sized race, curruca. Mr. Brooks has shown by an examina- tion of the type that this is really Blyth’s affinis, and the third and largest race remains as yet without any distinctive appella- tion. Now these three races are as follows :— First.—A very large species with the wings in the males running to 2°8, with scarcely, comparatively speaking, any brown upon the back; everywhere a leaden-greyer bird than either of the other two. \ 60 THE BIRDS OF A DROUGHT. This is clearly a rare bird. I have only five specimens, as follow :— J hansie, male; wing 2'8; 2nd primary nearly equals 8th. Deesa, male; wing 2°78; 2nd ae Fe 3 7th. Abmednugeur, male; wing 2°79; 2nd primary intermediate between 6th & 7th. Bhawulpur, female; wing 27; 2nd ,, AA > 6th & 7th. Ramoo Cashmeer, male; wing 28; 2nd_ ,, cp > 6th & 7th. I think that any one studying a large series carefully would . have no difficulty and feel no hesitation in picking out the birds belonging to this race, in which, although there is no constancy in the wing formula, the large size and difference in color very readily distinguishes it. With only a few specimens before me I should not have felt, any such certainty, but with 116 good specimens, all care- fully measured and examined, I do feel that the bird must be accepted, at any rate, as a clearly recognizable race. The difference is greater than in the case of many Pahylloscopi admitted as distinct species. Those who do not admit saces may call this bird Sylvia althea. Second.—We have the ordinary Indian race which, during the cold season, is spread over the entire empire, and which a comparison of the types proves to be S. afinis, Blyth. p In this species the back is much more decidedly brown than in the preceding species ; it is also smaller, and while it has a decidedly larger and stouter bill than the English curruea, it has at the same time a decidedly smaller one than althea. In this species the wings, as a rule, vary from 2°45 to 2°65; out of ninety-three specimens only three have the wings smaller than 2°45, and only two have them larger than 2°65. The wing formula is not absolutely constant; of the ninety- three, sixty-two have the 2nd primary equal to the 6th, twenty-five have it intermediate between the 6th and 7th, five have it equal to the 7th, and one has it intermediate between the 7th and 8th. It may be useful here to give a list of all these specimens, showing the localities where they were procured, the sex, where this has been noted, and the length of the wing :— 2nd primary equals 6th (62 specimens.) Btawah ... ... Male 2:5 | Mogulserai ».. Male 2:56 Sambhur ... ... Female 25 | Jodhpur .., Tah aay 2-6 Etawah ... se 2 26 | Delhi ans sascha 2-45 Etawah ... .. Male 25 | Cawnpur ,.. bac 2 25S Cawnpur ... 500 2 249 | Ajmeer ,., -.. Male 253 Oodeypur ... .. Lemale 2°55 | Soojut eae 2°49 Delhi sce pes y ‘2°58 | Lahore see p00 & 2°46 Allahabad ».. Male 2°6 | Kussowli ... .. Male 252 Beaur es ASG aac : Lahore... sco aS 2°55 2:7 Umballa or) ooo ” 2°60 Lahore toe ea 2 261 THE BIRDS OF A DROUGHT. Dinapur ... ».. Memale 255 | Dinapur .,,. he z 255 — Dinapur ' 4, 245 | Dimapur .., .. Male 26 — Dinapur ... 4 26 Dinapur ,,.. ... Lemele 2:6 — Ahrowra so 2 26 Dinapur ,,.. y 4 7G — Etawah .., oa g 2:5 | Deesa A ef 266 Mogulserai ... Male 2°65 | Rooree g 2-5 Sukkur ... Female 26 | Buxar ... Lemale 2:45 — Aboo Se foes 2 256 | Dinapur .. a 26 - Sambhur ... . Female 2°45 | Mithencote i 26 Bhawulpur ae 2 2°71 | Saugor e 2 2-5 Ramoo, Cashmeer ... Male 2°68 | Saugor ... Male 2°5 Dinapur ... Kemale 248 | Etawah at 2 2:46 —- Dinapur . Male 255 | Etawah ... Female 2°45 — Jhansie é 2 2°52 | Dinapur AEs 6 25- Mithencote ... Female 251 | Shansie ... Male 25 Erinpoora .. Male 2°65 | Buxar ... Female 2°51 Bhawulpur ... Hemale 2°55 | Jhansie .,,, ios 2 2-4, Sambhur ... ... Male 2°65 | Nal, Khelat a 2 92-62 Mooltan ... boa hess 2°61 | Nal, Khelat a 2 9-48 Dinapur Ree eee =~ 26 J hansie ... Lemale 2°49 Dinapur ... . Female 253 | Dinapur ... Male 9-56 2nd primary intermediate between 6th and 7th (25 specimens.) Dinapur ... .. Male 255) Etawah .., ». Hemale 246 —~ Sambhur ... 2» Female 2°6 Jodhpur ... Se #5 2°4,2 Dinapur .. Male 249} Jodhpur ... eo ? 2°63 Delhi ene .. Hemale 26 | Htawah ... . Male 25 Etawah ,., eae she nian Allahabad ... Bae @ 2:63 Dinapur ... tee 96 2°51 | Umballa ... Female 2°55 Sambhur ... ay 2 2°45 | Ahrowra .., oes 2 2-5 Umballa ... ».. Male 26 | Ahrowya ... ve. Lemale 2°5 Mogulserai CCN a 2°55 | Allahabad .». Male 2°5 Delhi os seen does 245 | Dinapur .., . Female 2°36 Umballa .., ... Memale 2:6 } Ahrowra ... ales os 2°59 Mogulserai ». Male 259 | Jodhpur «. Maie 25 Delhi osc ... Lemale 2°6 2nd primary equals Tth (5 specimens. ) Rasmalan, Mekran Coast 2 2°55 | Ajmeer ... nee 2 2°52 Nagpur... soc 2 2°55 | Coimbatore 3 22S Dinapur ... ... Male 251 2nd primary intermediate between Tth and 8th (1 specimen.) Jodhpur, Male, 2°55. As regards this species I have to notice that there isa marked variation in the color of the lores and ear-coverts. In some specimens these are barely darker than the nape ; in others they are almost black. This difference is not apparently due to either sex or season, as I have specimens of both sexes with the dark lores and ear-coverts, and also with the pale ones, killed in October, November, December, January, February, March, and April; it is either an individual peculiarity, or it may be dependant on the age of the bird. Third.—We have the small desert race which I designated minula, with a pale blue grey crown, aud with the whole 62 THE BIRDS OF A DROUGHT. mantle a pale sandy brown, much paler than in affinis, almost the same as in zana. In this species only two out of seventeen specimens have the wings over 2'45.. The majority run under 2°4. Of seventeen specimens, thirteen have the wings 2=7; three have the 2nd intermediate between 7th and 8th ; one has the 2=8. This species is, I find on careful re-examination of my whole collection, confined entirely to the extreme western portions of the Continent. I said formerly (S. F., I., 198) that I hada specimen from Jhansie, but on re-examining it I find that it was not correctly assigned to this race. I give below a list of my specimens similar to that already given for those of afinis :— 2nd primary equals Tth (13 specimens.) Jodhpur ... ee 2 2:4 | Chenab and Ravee Junct. Female 2°36 Jodhpur ... 06 2 86235 | Bhawulpur aes » 246 Mooltan ... ... Male 2°35 | Chenaband Ravee Junct. Male 2°33 Jacobabad si 2 2°44 | Bhawulpur oe 2 2°39 Jacobabad ... Lemale 2°35 | Bhawulpur Fo 2 2°39 Sukkur ... ate 35 23 | Raveeand Chenab Junct. Male 2°4 Mithencote uae a Pe 2nd primary intermediate between 7th and 8th (3 specimens.) Jodhpur ... ... Male, 243 | Jodhpur ... ... Male 2°53 Jodhpur ... ... Hemale 2°31 2nd primary equals 8th (1 specimen.) Ferozpur, Wale, 2:5. Although there will, doubtless, be some few exceptions, the following rough diagnosis will suffice to enable observers to separate the great majority of the specimens they may meet with :— S. ALTH-EA, S. AFFINIS. S. MINULA. Upper surface darkish grey; | Crown brownish grey, | Crown pale bluish grey ; slightly tinged with | mantle earth brown. mantle pale sandy brown on the back. brown. Wing, 2°7 to 2°8. Wing, 2°45 to 2°65. Wing, 2:3 to 2°45. 2nd primary =6-7, 7, 7-8. | 2nd Primary=6, 6-7. | 2nd Primary=’7, 7-8. Individual specimens will undoubtedly occur, which will not in every respect fall within the lines of this diagnosis ; and it is this which has made me doubt whether these three forms should be considered races or species; but the very great majority of the specimens can be at once diagnosed as above, and in all I think two out of the three points will be found to hold good. Ihave endeavoured now to lay the matter fully before my readers ; it is right, and indeed necessary, that they should un- derstand and recognize the existence of these three forms, but THE BIRDS OF A DROUGHT. 63 whether they shall accept them as mere races of one species, .or as three distinct species, is a matter for each one to decide for himself. That they are all three invariably distinguishable from curruca, of Kurope, by the proportions of the primaries I hold to be pretty well established. 583 bis.—Sylvia nana; extremely abundant in the low scrub. ~ 591.—Motacilla dukhunensis. 602.—Anthus campestris. 657.—Corvus laurencei, Hume. This Raven swarms about Jodhpoor. Our camp was a large one, perhaps containing 1,000 souls, and in amongst the tents, from dawn till dark, familiar and fearless as sparrows, were at all times from 50 to 100 of these ravens, stalking about singly and croaking vigorously to each other. It may be my ignorance, but [ cannot help considering this Raven distinct from corax of Europe, of which I kept two as a boy, and with which I have been very familiar. In the first place, the note is decidedly different, less hoarse, less deep, less unmusical. In the second place, the colour of the sheen is different, and there is a purplish tinge on the throat and upper breast hackles in fine specimens, of which I find no trace in skins of corax. In the third place, the bird is only about half the bulk, it seems to me, and very differently shaped. The very largest male that I have ever met with measured only 24°75 inches long; old males average 24:0; females, 23:0. The heaviest bird out of some fifty that I have weighed at different times only weighed 2tbs. 50z.; 2tbs. to 2tbs. 2oz. is the weight for fine males; 1:120z. to 1:140z. for females. Then the wings are excessively long for the size of the bird, and vary from 16:3 in the smallest female measured (but only good adults were measured) to 17:4 in the largest male. The wings in the fresh bird reach, as a rule, when closed, quite to the end of the tail ; in no case have I found them fall more than 0°5 short of this. The tail is very much rounded, the outer tail feathers are always 2 and occasionally fully 2:5 inches shorter than the central ones. I have unfortunately no sufficient series of Huropean speci- mens to compare, but I shot and preserved a dozen of this sup- posed species at Jodhpoor, which I shall send home for com- parison there. Our bird I may note is a permanent resident in the N. W. Punjaub, &c., and breeds there freely. (See Nest and Eggs, Rough Draft, 408.) It has been suggested that my bird might be wmbrinus, but considering that the adult has no brown about it, (of course the 64 j THE BIRDS OF A DROUGHT. young have the wings and tail brown) and looking to the dimensions of the wing above given (that of uwmbrinus varies from 14:2 to 15:7), I think it needless to discuss this hy- pothesis, the more so that I have one specimen of the true umbrinus from Jacobabad, Sindh, (in regard to which vide infra, my notes to Mr. Murray’s paper) which is as different from the present species as any Crow can be. 662.—Corvus splendens, rare. 684.—Acridotheres tristis. 706.—Passer domesticus. 716 bis—Emberiza striolata, on the jlanks of the rocky hills only. 732 bis.—Bucanetes githagineus, Liché. Jodhpoor is the most eastern locality from which this species has as yet been obtained. Westwards of this it occurs in Jesul- mir, as well as in Sindh. At Jodhpoor it was very rare, and I only saw and shot a single male, and though my men hunted hard, being very indignant at my getting a species that they did not get, they never succeeded in securing one. 760 bis.—Pyrrhulauda melanauchen, Cad. Mus. Hein, I., 124, 1851.—Finsch, Tr. Z. 8., VII., 275, pl. XXV., 1869—AHartl. and Finsch, Vig. Ost. Afr. 469, / 1870.—Blanf. Ibis, 1873, 223. erucigera, Rupp. Syst. Uebers., 79, No. 313, 1845, (in p.) nec Tem. nigriceps, Heugl. Fawn. Roth. Meer. No. 185, 1861, nec Gould. affinis, Blyth, Ibis, 1867, 185. Hume, S. F., L., 212, 1873. I formerly, loc. cit. supra, indicated the more conspicuous differences between this species and the common Indian P. gri- sea, Scop., but I had not at that time seen the female of the present species, nor wasI aware of the extent to which the plumage of apparently adult males differs. The following are dimensions recorded in the flesh of several specimens, males and females :— ; Sex. Length. Hxpanse. Tail. Wing. Tarsus. Bill from gape, Culmen. 6i cL i 05 0°55 g 561 10 22 32 06 g 56 10:0 22 317 OF 0:47 0:56 S$ 84 9:85 20 314 OF 0:43 0:53 Se. 55. 0S 22 383 065 0:47 052 S$ B55 103 23 33 068 0:47 0:5 Oe yard 10-0 20 311 069 0:48 0:52 2 53 9°6 21 302 07 0:49 0:52 9 5:23 9:7 20 303 063 0-45 0°51 Q 5:55 1u:1 21 32 OF 05 05 The irides were brown; the bill varied from pale whitey brown, bluish on lower mandible, to pearly white with a bluish THE BIRDS OF A DROUGHT. 65 tinge; the legs and feet were pale whitey brown, pale hoary fleshy, or pale’ brownish fleshy. The male has a broad frontal band, cheeks, ear-coverts and a band from these round the base of the occiput, and a large patch on either side of the breast, white, in the case of the two latter often tinged brownish. The base of the lower mandible, chin, throat, central por- tion of breast, abdomen, vent and lower tail-coverts, axillaries and wing-lining, (except lower primary greater coverts, which are pale grey brown like the lower surface of the quills) intensely deep, at times somewhat sooty, at times almost chocolate brown; the crown and upper part of occiput are deep brown, never, I think, quite so intense as the lower parts, often considerably lighter and more purely brown; the anterior portion of the sides of the neck, behind the lower half of the ear-coverts, is always like the breast. Sometimes the deep colour of these parts extends behind the whole of the ear-coverts, and right round the back of the neck, forming a collar immediately behind the white basal occipital band, already noticed, Sometimes there is not the faintest trace of this, and sometimes again the collar is only represented by a larger or smaller nuchal patch. This is perhaps the most common form, and hence the name ‘“‘ melanauchen.” The interscapulary region is a pale earthy brown, sometimes with a sandy tinge. The wings rather darker, but all the feathers margined with a pale whitey brown; and inner webs of quills darker, a sort of pale hair brown ; central tail feathers slightly paler than tertiaries ; rest of tail-feathers deep brown, but the outer web of the exterior feather white or nearly so, and the inner half or more of the inner web, pale whitey brown ; rump and upper tail-coverts pale earthy or sandy brown, noticeably paler than the interscapulary region; flanks much the same colour as the rump. The female has the chin, throat, abdomen, vent and lower tail-coverts white, with more or less traces of a very faint fawny tinge; a broad ill-defined, pale fawny band, which is sometimes feebly striated darker, covers the breast. The axillaries and lesser lower coverts about the ulna are deep brown, sometimes almost as deep as on the breast of the male. The female wants the white frontal band and patch on the sides of the head, the white occipital band, the dark crown and dark sides of the neck, and of course the dark collar, or dark nuchal patch so common in the males; the whole top of the head is unicolorous or nearly so with the interscapulary region, though the feathers are generally feebly darker centred. 9 66 THE BIRDS OF A DROUGHT. The rest of the upper surface is much as in the male, but as a rule sandier and less earthy in tinge. The males are distinguished at once from those of grisea by their dark crowns. Both sexes are distinguished by their somewhat larger size, (wings in grisea taken at random measure :— Males.—3:08 ; 3°07; 3°0; 3°01; 3:1. Females.—2:99; 3:0; 2°9; 2:99; 3:06; 2:9; 2°87; 2:95) and their somewhat larger bills. The females are further distinguishable by their whiter un- der surface, paler upper surface, and especially crowns, and by their deep colored axillaries, which in grisea are little darker than the breast. In this latter species the lesser lower-coverts about the w/ma are dark brown in the female, but not nearly so deep as in medanauchen. I found this species extremely common in the sandy wastes about Jodhpoor. Their habits are precisely those of their common Indian congener. Mr. Blanford found this common about the extreme south-west corner of Sindh near the Hubb River, but I never saw it in Sindh (though I found grisea com- mon), and Captain Butler, who like myself has seen plenty of this latter, has not yet succeeded in meeting with melanauchen in Sindh. This species extends into Jeysulmir, but it does not appear to cross the Aravallis, southwards into Oodeypoor. At any rate I saw none there, but plenty of grisea directly we ap- proached the less desert tracts that fringe the Aravallis, whereas whilst 1 was there, I saw no grisea about Jodhpoor, only mela- nauchen. This was probably due to the drought, for Dr. King, who collected about Jodhpoor for two years, got no melanauchen but sent me specimens of grisea thence. Occasionally this species strays much further east, as our museum contains a specimen shot in the Muttra District by Mr. Adam. 761.—Calendrella brachydactyla. 769.—Galerida cristata, both very common. 788.— Columba intermedia ; very scarce, although in Jodhpoor as elsewhere in Rajpootana never allowed to be killed by any one, Kuropeans or Natives. In ordinary years they are said to be more common. 794.—Turtur senegalensis. 796.—Turtur risorius, both rather rare. 799.—Pterocles arenarius. 802,—Pterocles exustus. Only one or two of each seen, though further away from Jodhpoor where there was a little water, both species were numerous. THE BIRDS OF A DROUGHT. 67 803.—Pavo cristatus.—Like the blue pigeon this species is sacred in Rajpootana and never shot, and in some parts it swarms to a degree almost incredible. Here, despite of drought and famine, a few were still to be seen. 822.—Ortygornis ponticeriana. 837.—Houbara macqueeni ; very scarce. 840.—Cursorius coromandelicus. 840 bis.— Cursorius gallicus ; a few of each. To these I must add one species, which, although a shore bird, deserves special mention. About every hamlet one or more pairs of 855.-—Lobivanellus indicus were to be observed. In normal seasons there is out- side each village one or more tiny ponds, at which the cattle drink, and it is on the banks of these that LZ. indicus is then as a rule to be found. But at the time I refer to, not one of these contained, or had contained for the last nine months, one drop of water. Strange to say the Lapwings had taken up their quarters like the mad men of old fand mad they must have been to cling to such a place as Jodhpoor was when I was there) ; “amongst the tombs.”” Outside each village is a bovine Golgotha to which all the carcases of the cattle that die are, after being skinned, dragged, firstly apparently tc ensure a pleasant smell (from a native point of view) in the suburbs, and, secondly, for the delectation of the village dogs, the jackals and vultures. Now at this time of drought it was invariably amongst the skeletons, generally inside the ribs of some hapless and recently deceased bullock, that I found L. indicus, (a veritable disgrace, as I remarked to several of them, to their genus) feeding on fly maggots, and small fragments of putrid flesh. Of shore and water birds we procured the following at the small tanks and reservoirs above alluded to:— 848.—-Hgialitis cantianus. 849.—digialitis curonicus. 871— Gallinago scolopacinus. 884.—Tringa minuta. 894.—Totanus glottis. 897.—Totanus calidris. 898.—Himantopus candidus. 899.—Recurvirostra avocetia. 903.—Fulica atra. 917.—Xenor- hynchus asiaticus. 923.—Ardea cinerea, 930.—Ardeola grayi; 937.—Platalea leucorodia. 957.— Spatula clypeata. 958.—Anas boschas. 959.—Anas pacilorhyncha. 961.—Chaulelasmus stre- perus. 964.—Querquedula crecea. 967.—Fuligula rujina. 975.—Podiceps minor. 1,005.—Phalacrocoraz carbo. Now, of course, this must not be supposed to exhaust the avifauna of the environs of Jodhpoor, in ordinary years, but it does, I believe, absolutely exhaust the avifauna of the 250 to 260 square miles of country that we worked, at this particular season of drought, aud I may add that, from what I saw in 68 A CONTRIBUTION TO THE marching about elsewhere, there were several thousand square miles of Western Rajpootana, which at that time would scarcely have exhibited from end to end a dozen more species than those that I have above enumerated, altogether 81 in number. Any one who will compare this list with our list of the birds of Mount Aboo, Northern Guzerat and adjacent territories, (Vol. III, pp- 487-500, and Vol. IV, pp. 1-40), will see at once how large a number of species had been banished by the drought. A. Oot A Contribution to the Abifauna of the Deccan. By Messrs. Davinson, C.S., anD WeENDEN, C.H. Tus Paper is offered as a supplement to the “List of Birds collected in the vicinity of Khandalla, &., &c., ” by the Rev. Mr. Fairbank, and which appears in Vol. IV., Stray Feataers. With this list of 255 species, the 103 which Mr. Fairbank notes and we omit, and the additional three observed by Captain Butler, the Avifauna of “ the Deccan” is so far represented by 361 species. We note 44 species, which Mr. Fairbank does not. Our list includes only those species which we have observed along or above the crests of the Syhadree Ghats, and it has no pretence to represent any very deep research, but is simply a compilation of notes made by us at a time when we had no notion of publishing the result of our observations. We have been at some pains to render our list reliable, entering no birds about which we have doubt, excepting in cases where the admission is made or implied. The accompanying map will show that our tract of observa- tion has been somewhat extended. It may be said to embrace the whole valley of the Bheema which, practically, runs for its entire course parallel to the south-east branch of the G. I .P. Railway. Indeed itis along this tract that the authors have chiefly worked, and their observations at Hgutpoora, Khandalla, and Mahableshwar may be termed casual. Egutpoora on the Thull Ghat, and Khandalla on the Bhore Ghat, may be described in almost the same words. They are both situated on the crest of the ghats. The temperature is similar, ranging froma minimum of about 56° to a maximum of about 96.° They are both within the influence of the sea breeze, and the rainfall is very heavy, averaging for the four months, June to September, 155 inches at Khandalla, which is 1,793 feet above ; OD H ina ei vs i i ia . i ‘até sy! ‘ Whiwt aa ; , in / has P . VM ek BP i my ere To ete t hy art . a LN patra to yf ae SES Voll? Vile lsiSe 9 BARODA N ie a BR ING qaptee e- oe Goda: Vers. eAhm 5 2 1edna ggur tae 4 Bay Sattar y® rsee hoady gS Ekroot = rpur ' hola: oor ie Kur PSO Iaalic irulkote S. Gr olbw Beej ap ogor Raich se Raichoor ol TO ILLUSTRATE ; “CONTRIBUTION TO THE AVI-FAUNA OF THE DECCAN” By Mess"? Davidson and Wenden. ENGLISH MILES. 50 100 150 The places around which they have collected, are denoted by w red Une, BANGALORE, = ee 75 AVIFAUNA OF THE DECCAN. 69 the sea, and 129 inches at Eeutpoora, which has an elevation of 1,921 feet. The scenery is grand. The hills are bold, castellated masses of Basaltic trap, numerously scarfed in wonderfully horizontal lines, the slopes between the escarpments, the tops and the bases, being densely clad with trees and undergrowth. The valleys and gorges are rugged, deep and gloomily silent, except for the sweet voices of the birds and the occasional music of some mimic waterfall or the rippling of some stream—perfect paradises for birds—(this from a “summer”’’ point of view of course !) Two miles up from Khandalla stands Lanoli, the head of the Bhore Gh&t incline. Thence the line passes through a tolerably level valley, and the hills on either side gradually diminishing become more and more bare until Poona is reached, and the characteristic type of Deccan scenery commences. Poona, 1,819 feetabove the sea, has a rainfall averaging about 27 inches in the year, and taking the register of 5 years, the maximum temperature has not exceeded 96°, whilst the mini- mum is 60.° Just about the city and the cantonment, there are fine groves of trees and verdant patches of garden land, which the fine canal from Kurrukwasla Reservoir, 12 miles from the town, bids fair to increase. From Poona onwards, along the line of rail to Goolburga 1,492 feet above the sea, the country is parched and barren, with scarcely a trace of vegetation, excepting near villages where good wells exist, or on the banks of rivers. It is a succes- sion of undulations—dreary, low, stony hills or ridges capped with boulders of trap, hidden in yellow spear-grass, and here and there a hollow or slope of rich black soil in which the sturdy, stolid, Mahratta ryots carry on a scanty cultivation. In the neighbourhood of villages, mangoe topes and gardens are to be found, which afford shelter to our feathered friends, and Peepuls and Banyans, which form the invariable accompani- ment to Hindoo temples, with an occasional Neem, are not absent, while in favoured parts the banks of nullas are fringed with thick groves of Babul and date palms; but, with these exceptions, the region is treeless, whether we look to the low- lying fields, the gravelly sea above, or the rough, barren ridges which crown all. It is written in one of the Revenue Commissioner’s reports that it was “proposed to grant remission of rent, &c., according to the number of healthy trees reared by a cultivator on the boundaries of his fields, but the ryots would not do it on account of the shade being injurious to the crops and the trees attract- ing birds !” 70 A CONTRIBUTION TO THE Leaving Goolburga (where there is a magnificent old fort, on one of the bastions of which is mounted a huge pivot cannon, 29 feet 10 inches long, and where there are some curious old domed tombs), a few miles, and the geological features change. Sudden as the passing from day to night in this country, where we miss our sweet English twilight, is the change from the round weather-worn trap boulders of dark dingy hue to the pearl grey limestone which shows above the surface at eccentric angles—here, level as a billiard table in layers so true that im- mense blocks or thin slabs with perfectly paralled beds can be procured without difficulty—there, heaved up, with the seams pointing to the sky, rugged, fractured and distorted. But the general aspect of the country remains unchanged. The monotonous undulations still depress one, the absence of trees is still conspicuous, and the want of cultivation is still more marked than in the country we have already passed through. No irrigation, no gardens. The only improvement that strikes a passing observer is in the village huts, which, being built of and roofed with the delicate-coloured limestone, look clean and _ glistening—an illusion soon dissipated on a closer examination. Here, as indeed all along the route from Poona, almost every village shows traces of fortification, sometimes in a fair state of preservation, but oftener in ruins. Numerous prettily-shaped Martello towers are observed, and every village except the quite modern ones has a dense belt of prickly pear surrounding it; their defence against the hordes of horsemen that perpetually surged through these districts, overwhelming them in a sea of anarchy and desolation until the strong hand of the British Government established peace and order. Yet a little further on, just 18 miles through the limestone basin, and another change occurs equally suddenly. The whole surface is one continuous plain, more thickly cultivated and with a regular fall towards the Kistna River, into which flows the Bheema with which we have been marching. Before reaching Nalwar, 1,325 feet above the sea, the limestone disappears, and the whole plain is studded with granite hills of the most abrupt and grotesque forms. East of the line, abreast of the village of Nulwar, commences a continuous range, extending in a south-easterly direction to beyond Koilconda, whilst isolated hills are seen right and left of the line as far as Raichore, feet above the sea, the most southern limit of our range of observation. Such rugged, wild-looking hills! as though gigantic devils had amused themselves by pitching up heaps of immense blocks, haphazard. Stones balanced one upon the other in the most AVIFAUNA OF THE DECCAN. ; 71 delicate manner, others packed as closely and nicely, as if some tidy neat sort of devil had attempted to pack them in the small- est possible space! These rugged masses are all more or less covered with scrub jungle, whilst the valleys are tolerably well wooded and watered, and we are convinced that a more thorough search through this range would add largely to our list of birds. The jungles contain a few tigers and bears, numerous panthers and a sprink- ling of sambur and cheetul, and on the plains we have seen a few herds of black buck and chinkara. But it is heart-breaking work hunting them; bruin and his feline friends are pretty secure in the thousands of dens, afforded by the tossed-up granite, and the deer tribe is scarce at the best. The temperature increases as we leave Poona, journeying south until it is as hot at Raichore as in the central Provinces, without the advantage of any bracing cold season. ‘The rainfall varies but little between Poona and Raichore. The average fall for a period of 8 years was as follows :— Barsi aie Aor we) er G2: Mareh aie sis dan) oO Sholapoor ace sek vay rad: Pundharpur... stud (Re Gh Beyond Sholapoor, we have no records, but experience teaches us that the fall between that station and Raichore ranges between 20 and 25 inches. At Indapur, a taluka in the Sholapoor Collectorate, the average for 7 years, from 1566 to 1872 is given as 16:59", but for five years, 1862 to 1867, the average is said to have been only 5°85”. Where, in our list we have used the term collectorate, we allude to Sholapoor. The taluka of Sholapoor does not deserve any very special mention. Its general ap- pearance is similar to that which we have endeavoured to des- cribe as existing between Poona and Goolburga. The Revenue Commissioner’s report says of this taluka: “Its chief feature is the Ekrook Tank, formed by damming up a valley three miles north of the city of Sholapoor. Three aqueducts sally forth from this magnificent reservoir, carrying prosperity to the more en- lightened of the cultivators who, leaving the groove of their forefathers, pay for water wherewith to irrigate their fields.” Next to the fact that their fathers had not used water, their ereatest objection to it is that it is too cold! Then in the station of Sholapoor itself there are two fine tanks which seldom or ever dry up. One under the walls of the noble old fort, and one in “camp,” and there is the Motee Bagh, a perfect oasis in the desert, with a magnificent grove of trees, its “ Lily Tank” and a nullah which flows during the hottest seasons. It was in this place that we collected some of our rarest migrants. 72 A CONTRIBUTION TO THE Altogether, the country between Poona and Raichore is not prepossessing. Our sketch is meant to represent its appearances during the hot season when the whole surface is exposed and bare; but, under the most favorable aspects, when every avail- able spot is under cultivation, it is not much more pleasing for what landscape can please one if it be devoid of foliage or water ? The unirrigated crops are either “khurreef” or “rubbee” accordingly as the season is an early or late one. They con- sist of Bajra, Jowar, Gram, Toor, Wheat, Koorasnee Oorud, Moong, &e., and in the vicinity of Sholapoor, Akulkote, Nulwar and Kaichore, a fair amount of rice is cultivated. The tract is not calculated to possess a very large Avifauna. Mahableshwar, 4,700 feet above the sea, possesses a cool climate and the rainfall is excessively heavy. The ground over which Davidson alone collected, in the Satara districts, extended from the valley of the Kistna to the. crest of the ghats. In the station of Satara the mean tempera- ture for 6 years between 1871 and 1876, ranged between 86°6 and 68°°9. We have no record of the rainfall. We are indebted to Mr. H. E. M. James for much of the information which is embodied in this very feeble description of our tract of observation, and to the editor for entirely re- vising our nomenclature, which, having no works but Jerdon’s at hand to consult, was to a great extent, we fear, obsolete. 2.—Otogyps calvus, Scop. Nest with one egg found by D. in Sholapoor Districts, 26th December 1874, and another with a single egg on 28th February 1875. Wesaw numbers in the interval. Some nests near villages were in high trees, and others, far away from habitations, were in much smaller trees. 4.—Gyps indicus, Scop.? G. pallescens, Hume. At all seasons moderately common in the Sholapoor Districts. It breeds on some of the Satara cliffs in Tadli, and also in_ the valley of the Sina at Naywi. 5.—Gyps bengalensis, Gmel. The commonest Vulture at all seasons. D. got its nest with a young bird, just able to fly, in the Satara District, early in January. 6.—Neophron ginginianus, Lath. Very common. They lay from beginning of February to the and of March, the majority laying only one egg; but, we have 3 found them saith two. oF AVIFAUNA OF THE DECCAN. 73 9.—Falco peregrinator, Sund. D. daily saw a pair chasing one another near Adul, on the Khoinoor River, Satara Districts. 11.—Falco juggur, Gray. Very common in the dry districts. Found our first nest with one freshegg on 4th January, and our last, with three almost fresh eggs, on 14th March. On the last nest, built in a Neem tree, about 12 feet from the ground the male bird was sitting, while the female was perched on another tree a hundred yards away. 16.—Falco chicquera, Daud. Very common, breeding abundantly all over the districts. First nest observed on 28th February, and the last 28th March. Four nests, each contained three fresh eggs. Some birds certain- ly breed prior to the first date. 17.—Cerchneis tinnuncula, Liz. Common throughout the district in the cold weather, and D. thinks it breeds at Mahableshwur. 18.—Cerchneis naumanni,* Pleish. Common in the cold season. D. one evening, on 4th Janu- ary, in the Sholapoor District, saw a flock of several hundreds roosting on about twenty big trees near a village. Hedid not shoot a bird, but he has no doubt that it was this species. In the middle of May it was apparently breeding, z.¢., it was “calling” at the Genna Falls and Arthur’s Seat, at Maha- bleshwar. 23.—Astur badius, Gel. Common at all seasons. Nest with two fresh eggs found in a mangoe tree on 31st March 1875. 24.—Accipiter nisus, Zin. Common in cold weather. 27.—Aquila mogilnik, S. G. Gm. A young male shot in August. * In this and some other cases, not having seen specimens, I cannot be certain whether the specific name has been correctly assigned—the bird referred to may be C. pekinensis. I haye never yet examined a Southern Indian example of a Lesser Kestril.—A. O, H. 10 74 A CONTRIBUTION TO THE 28.—Aquila clanga, Pal. Observed several times, and believed to breed near the Ekroot tank. 29.—Aquila vindhiana, Frank. Extremely abundant. Eggs taken from 28th October to 12th February. Some single eggs were set. One nest had three, but the majority only two eggs. An eagle’s egg, which almost certainly belonged to this species, was brought to D. on 30th September. 31.—-Hieraetus pennatus, Gmed. Not uncommon along the River Bhima in the cold season, and may perhaps breed, but all the specimens D. has seen were immature. A single young bird was obtained on the Mann River, Sangola, on 11th December 1875. 33.—Nisaetus fasciatus, ieidl. A nest with a single young bird just hatched out was found on 10th February. The hen was shot, and within two days the male appeared with another female and the young one disappeared. The pair went to another old nest of enormous size on an adjacent tree. Although several people were sent to the village officials with instructions to have the eggs taken, nothing was sent to us but two eggs of NV. ginginianus, which had of course been taken from some other nest. Higgs were taken at Kassigaum on 13th January 1876, slightly set. Other eyries with young birds were seen at Dhotri and Subjar. 38.—Circaetus gallicus, Gmel. Not uncommon in the bare parts of the district from Sep- tember to the beginning of April. We have not observed it breeding. 39 bis.—Spilornis melanotis, Jerd. Shot in September and observed at other seasons, but not known to breed in the district. 45.—Buteo ferox, S. G. Gmel. D. shot a specimen in February on the Pundharpur tank. 50.—Circus cyaneus, Lin. 51.—Circus macrourus, S. G. Gmel. AVIFAUNA OF THE DECCAN. 75 52.—Circus pygargus, Lin. We are not sure about these three Harriers, but it is certain that one or more of them frequent the district in the cold season. 54.—Circus eruginosus, Lin. Occasionally observed in the cold season. 55.—Haliastur indus, Bodd. Rather rare; but on the 16th January D. shot a female from a nest (no eggs) on a small bush growing out of a rocky bank, 30 or 40 feet high,-on the Bhima River. On dissecting her he found that the eggs would probably have been laid a week later. A nest with one egg and a young bird was taken on an island in the River Bhima, on 24th April. We observed a nestling on the Dew River, 14 miles from Poona, on 14th February. 506.—Milvus govinda, Sykes. The only one identified by D. was I. govinda. It breeds freely from middle of September to middle of March. The greatest number of eggs found in a nest was three. 57.—Pernis ptilorhyncha, Tem. Rather rare about Sholapoor. Sawa pair breeding on 6th February. They were very noisy. 59.—Elanus ceruleus, Desfont. Moderately common. A nest with three eggs was taken on 10th July 1875. It breeds abundantly in Caladgi District, some 50 miles from Sholapoor, in December. 60.—Strix javanica, Gm. Pretty common at all seasons, but although we know them to breed about Sholapoor, we were not fortunate enough to secure their eggs. D. got a nest with seven young birds in the Satara District, in February. 65.—Syrnium ocellatum, Lesson. Observed and shot at Barsee, in May. D. has also seen it at Akulkote. It is very common in Satara, where a nest with one fresh egg was taken on 8th February, and another nearly perfect egg was taken out of the female. 68.—Asio accipitrinus, Pall. Occurs in numbers all over the district in the cold weather. 716 A CONTRIBUTION TO THE 69.—Bubo bengalensis, Franklin. Common along all the brooks and rivers. Found numerous nests (facing all points of the compass) in November and De- cember. Six was the greatest number of young or eggs ob- served in one nest. All the eggs, with the exception of one, which lay on a bare ledge of rock, were found in naturally formed holes in clay hanks. 72.—Ketupa ceylonensis, Gmel. On 14th February, in the Satara Districts, D. shot a hen from a nest which contained an addled egg. We have not ob- served this species in the Skolapoor Districts. 74.—Scops pennatus, Hodgs. Not very uncommon at any season, but chiefly observed in cold and rainy months. 76.—Carine brama, Zem. Very common. Breeds January to middle of March. Generally lays four to five eggs, but D. noticed ¢hree birds sitting on two ege's in one hole! 81.—Ninox lugubris, Zick. Rare, but specimens having been obtained both in cold and rainy seasons, it probably breeds about Sholapoor. 82.—Hirundo rustica, Lon. Common in the cold season. 84.—Hirundo filifera, Stephens. Common and breeds. 85.—Hirundo erythropygia, Sykes. Common and breeds. 86.—Hirundo fluvicola, Jerd. Very common. Breeds in great numbers under the Railway arch over the standing water of the Sholapoor tank. 89.—Cotyle sinensis, Gray. Tolerably common. At Sangola it breeds singly, in river banks, in December. On the banks of the Bhima, D. gota single nest with three fresh eggs, in March. AVIFAUNA OF THE DECCAN. ra, 90.—Ptionoprogne concolor, Sykes. In the Sholapoor Districts it breeds in abundance in the rains andin February. At Egutpoora it was breeding in the verandah of the Engineers’ bungalow in the middle of March and first week in August. At Lanoli on 20th March. 98.—Cypselus melba, Zin. Permanent resident in Satara. Breeds, D. thinks, about the cliffs, and on old buildings in the fort there. 100.—Cypselus affinis, Gray. Common all over the district. 102.—Cypselus batassiensis, Gray. Very rare in the dryer portions of the Deccan. Tolerably numerous in the palm groves near Nulwar. D. saw three amongst some small palms about five miles from Akulkote. 107.—Caprimulgus indicus, Lath. Moderately common and undoubtedly breeds, but we did not obtain its eggs. 112.—Caprimulgus asiaticus, Lath. Common ; nests found in August. 117.—Merops viridis, Lin. Common and breeds. 120.—Merops persicus, Pail. D. got a young specimen near Pundharpur in October. They are not common, and appear only in the cold season. 123.—Coracias indica, Lin. Common, but does not breed. 129.—Halcyon smyrnensis, Lin. Very abundant. Breeds in March and April. 134.—Alcedo bengalensis, Gmel. Fairly common and breeds. A nest taken at Satara in June 136.—Ceryle rudis, Lz. Common. Apparently breeds at all seasons, except the very hot months. 78 A CONTRIBUTION TO THE 144.—Ocyceros birostris, Scop. Moderately numerous in suitable localities. 148.—Paleornis torquatus, Bodd. Common, breeding in December, January and February. 149.—Palzornis purpureus, P. L. §. Mili. _ Abundant in the Satara Districts, where it is a permanent resident. It breeds in the plains there in December and on the ghats in March. During the rains it is very common through- out the Sholapoor Districts. 151.—Paleornis columboides, VYigors. Moderately common along the very top of the ghats, and breeds there. An old bird shot, whilst feeding a young one, in March. 160.—Picus mahrattensis, Lath. Commonest in suitable localities, and certainly breeds. 166 6is.—Chrysocolaptes delesserti, Malh. Not uncommon on the ghits. Nest, in a small tree, near the roots, found in March. 171.—Gecinus striolatus, Blyth. A Green Wood-pecker, probably this one, observed near the top of the Bhore Ghat in September. Not thoroughly identified. 188.—Yunx torquilla, Zinn. As a winter visitant, moderately common. One obtained near Poona on 10th February was moulting. 194.—Megaleema viridis, Bodd. Common in suitable localities and breeds. W. has frequently noticed them climbing like a Wood-pecker, but has not heard them tap. 197.—Xantholema hemacephala, JZi//. Very common and breeds. 199.—Cuculus canorus, Linn. Appears sparingly during the rains and cold weather. 201.—Cuculus poliocephalus, Lath. Scarce, but seen and procured during the rainy and cold seasons. AVIFAUNA OF THE DECCAN. Che 203.—Cuculus micropterus, Gould. Common during the rains. 212.—Coccystes jacobinus, Bodd. Common in the rains and believed to breed ; but not proved to do so. 214.—Eudynamys honorata, Zin. Common in the rains and breeds. 216.—Rhopodytes viridirostris, Jerd. A nest with two eggs taken at Nulwar in July. It is toler- ably common in the jungles there. 217.—Centrococcyx rufipennis, Ziliger. Common and breeds. 219.—Taccocua leschenaultii, Lesson. Common in the Nulwar jungles and observed at top of the Bhore Ghat. Common in the bare hills at Satara. Secured at Lanoli. 226.—Aithopyga vigorsi, Sykes. Fairly common along the ghats and breeds at Mahableshwar. 232.—Cinnyris zeylonica, Lin. Found all over the Deccan. Commoner in the well-watered parts, and breeds. 234.—Cinnyris asiatica, Lin. Common and breeds. 204.—Upupa epops, Lin. A single specimen procured in the cold season. Probably not uncommon. 255.—Upupa nigripennis, Gowld. Very common and breeds. 256.—Lanius lahtora, Sykes. Common, and breeds abundantly in the Poona and Sholapoor Collectorates at the end of the hot weather. W. has noticed it breeding at Nulwar and Raichore. D. observed that it was very rare in the Satara Districts. 80 A CONTRIBUTION TO THE 2597.—Lanius erythronotus, Vzgors. Very common in Satara; breeding freely in the beginning of the rains; observed at Lanoli. Rare in the Sholapoor District and does not appear to breed there. 260.—Lanius vittatus, Valenc. Abundant, and breeds all over the Deccan. 265.—Tephrodornis ponticeriana, G'mel. - Common at the heads of the Bhore and Thull Ghats, and Mr. Hume identified two specimens procured by W. at Nulwar as young birds. 268.—Volvocivora sykesii, Strickland. A rather common winter visitant. 272.—Pericrocotus flammeus, Forséer. Not uncommon along the tops of the ghats. 273.—Pericrocotus brevirostris, Vigors. D. saw a flock of five or six of this at Sangola, but they are not common in these districts. 276.—Pericrocotus peregrinus, Zin. Common, and breeds in the rains. 278.—Buchanga atra, Herm. Common and breeds. 281.—Buchanga cerulescens, Lin. Common on the ghits; noticed on one or two occasions during the cold weather, at Sholapoor. 288.—Muscipeta paradisi, Lin. Fairly scattered all over the Deccan. OD. feels certain that it breeds at Satara. We noticed at Sholapoor all the birds seen in the rains were short-tailed specimens. 292.—Leucocerea albofrontata, Frankl. Tolerably common, and breeds. 293.—Leucocerca pectoralis, Jerd. Tolerably common. A nest with three eggs taken at Egutpoora on 6th September. AVIFAUNA OF THE DECCAN. 81 295.—Culicicapa ceylonensis, Siwzains. Very common in Satara, and undoubtedly breeds there. 297.—Alseonax latirostris, Raffles. Procured at Sholapoor in October, and at Egutpoora in the same month. 301.—Stoporala melanops, Vigors. A visitant at Sholapoor in rains and cold weather. 305.—Cyornis tickelli, Blyth. A few come to Sholapoor in the rains and cold weather. W. procured a specimen as late as March. 307.—Cyornis ruficauda, Swans. A single specimen obtained at Sholapoor in July. 323 bis.—Erythrosterna parva, Bechst. A specimen procured at Sholapoor in February. It is not rare in the cold season. 342.-—Myiophoneus horsfieldii, Vigors. Seattered all over the Deccan in suitable localities. W. got two nests, oneon the Bhore Ghat on 5th August, and one on the Thull Ghat on 17th of same month. That on the Bhore Ghat was built on a ledge of rock some 15 feet ix from the face of a Railway tunnel where 30 or 40 trains daily pass- ed within a few feet of it. That on the Thull Ghat was ina cutting at the entrance of a tunnel and about the same height above and from the railsas the one on the Bhore Ghat. In both cases the eggs were much discolored by the smoke from engines, but on being washed, W. observed that one of the three eggs in each nest was of adecidedly greenish blue, finely speckled and splashed with pinky brown, while the others were of the pale salmon-pink, as described in Mr. Hume’s Rough Draft of “Nest and Eggs.” The male bird was sitting on one of the nests and was shot. W. saw numerous other nests, some high up on cliffs, beyond the reach of a 15-foot ladder. Two nests in holes in trees were reported to him, but he could not go to examine them. Thenests were about 4 inches diameter by 24 inches deep, inside, and 8 to 10 inches broad outside, and not more than 10 inches high. The foundation portion contained a great deal of clay and earth which seemed to be necessary to secure the nests in positions so exposed to the heavy gusts of winds which prevail on these chats during the monsoon. 1k 82 A CONTRIBUTION TO THE 345.—Pitta brachyura, Lin. A visitant in September and October and in April and May at Sholapoor. 351.—Cyanocinela cyana, Lin. A common winter visitant throughout the Deccan. 308.—Orocetes cinclorhynchus, Yigors. Moderately common at Sholapoor and observed at Poona and Nulwar during the rains. 3905.—Pyctoris sinensis, Gael. Tolerably common in the Sholapoor District ; more so in the better-wooded parts, where it breeds. 389.—Alcippe poiocephala, Jerd. Moderately common at the top of the Satara Ghats. 404.—Pomatorhinus horsfieldi, Sykes. Very common along tops of ghats. D. got a nest with two eggs in March. 436.—Malacocircus malcolmi, Sykes. Common, and breeds. 438.—Chatorhea caudata, Dum. Very common and breeds. 452.—Ixus luteolus, Less. Pretty common in the Nulwar jungles. 460 bis.—Otocompsa fuscicaudata, Gould. Rather common in wooded localities. D. took several nests in the Satara Hills in March and the two following months. 462.—Molpastes hemorrhous, Gmel. This is the common species at Sholapoor. 463.—Phyllornis jerdoni, Blyth. Two specimens procured and others observed at Egutpoora, in November. 468.—lora typhia, Lin. Our Tora is of the typical zeylonica form. It is common and breeds abundantly in July. W. observed a pair building at Lanoli late in August. AVIFAUNA OF THE DECCAN. 83 470.—Oriolus kundoo, Sykes. Common, and breeds in June and July. 473.—Oriolus ceylonensis, * Bonaparte. A straggler in the Deccan. 475.—Copsychus saularis, Lnn. Tolerably common. Nest taken at Satara, in ne 479.—Thamnobia fulicata, Linn. Abundant, and breeds from April to July. 481.—Pratincola caprata, Linon. Common, and breeds from April to July. 483.—Pratincola indica, Blyth. A very common winter visitant. 497.—Ruticilla rufiventris, Viezdloé. Fairly numerous during cold season. 507.—Larvivora superciliaris, Jerd. Moderately common during rains and cold weather. 530.—Orthotomus sutorius, G. 2. Forst. Common, and breeds in June and July. 534.—Prinia socialis, Sykes. Common. Nests taken in August. 539.—Cisticola cursitans, Frankl. Common in all grass lands. It breeds in the rainy season. 543.—Drymoica inornata, Sykes. Common, and breeds. 553.—Hypolais rama Sykes. Common at all seasons. 562.—Phylloscopus indicus, Jerd. One specimen only procured at Kurkulla, between head of Bhore Ghat and Poona, in February. * Probably even if this supposed species be admitted to be distinct, the Deccan bird is O, melanocephalus.—ED. 84 A CONTRIBUTION TO THE 581.—Sylvia jerdoni, Blyth. Commonest in Sholapoor during the cold season. We pro- cured it in February, April and May. 589.—Motacilla maderaspatana, Gi. Common, and breeds in cold weather and rains. 591 bis.—Motacilla dukhunensis, Sykes. Common throughout the district during the winter months. 592.—Calobates melanope, Pail. Common everywhere during winter. 593.—Budytes cinereocapilla, Savi. A common winter visitant. Observed at Poona as late as the end of March. 594.—Budytes citreola, Pallas. Common in winter throughout the district. 596.—Pipastes maculatus, Hodgs, A common winter visitant. 600.—Corydalla rufula, Vzeillot. Common in the cold weather. 631.—Zosterops palpebrosa, Temm. Not rare in the Satara Districts. 648.—Machlolophus jerdoni, Blyth. Specimens procured at Lanoli in August and at Heutpoora in March. They certainly breed at these places, as in Septem- ber, at the latter place. W. observed two parent birds with four young ones capable of flying out very short distances. 660.—Corvus macrorhynchus, agi. Common and breeds from April to June. 663.—Corvus splendens, /eiilot. Common, ard breeds from May to July. 674.—Dendrocitta rufa, Scop. Common along the ghats. 684.—Acridotheres tristis, Linn. Common, and breeds in May and June. AVIFAUNA OF THE DECCAN. 85 687.—Sturnia pagodarum, Gmel. Not quite so common as ¢ristis. Breeds at Satara in May. 690.—Pastor roseus, Linn. A, to cultivators, distressingly numerous winter visitor. 694.—Ploceus philippinus, Zen. Common, and breeds in July. 699.—Munia punctulata, Lin. Common and breeds. 703.—Munia malabarica, Linn. Very common, and breeds at all seasons. 706.—Passer indicus, Jard and Selby. Very common, breeding at all seasons. 711.—Gymnoris flavicollis, Franklin. Rare, but D. found it breeding in the Sholapoor Districts in April. 721.—Euspiza melanocephala, Scop. A common winter visitant. 722.—Kuspiza luteola, Sparrm. Observed by D. in February, at Akulkote. 756.—Mirafra erythroptera, Jerd. Very common, and dozens may be seen all along the line between Poona and Raichore; many of them perching on the telegraph wires. 758.—Ammomanes pheenicura, Frankl. Very numerous. Seen with No. 756 also perching on telegraph wires. Breeds plentifully throughout the Poona and Sholapoor Districts in April and beginning of May. Their nests, as a rule, are built in a hole in a bank, either of a river or a nulla, but sometimes in an ordinary éund. Nest well lined with hair and wool and warmly made—like a robin’s. All the nests taken by D. during last season contained but two eggs each, but a nest containing four young Larks, which he believed to be of this kind, was brought to him in May, 760.—Pyrrhulauda grisea, Scop. Very common, and appears to breed at all seasons. 86 A CONTRIBUTION TO THE 165.—Spizalauda deva, Sykes. Very numerous and breeds in July and August. 767.—Alauda gulgula, Frankl. Not uncommon in Satara. D. took what he believed to be a nest of this species in May. 769.—Galerida cristata, Linn. D. observed it to be common on the top of the Satara chats. 773.—Crocopus chlorigaster, Biyth. ! Observed, but rarely, about Sholapoor. Commonest at Lanoli and Eeutpoora. Nests taken on the Satara Hills, where it is common in March. Observed at Nulwar. 788.—Columba intermedia, Strickland. Very common. 793.—Turtur meena, Sykes. Common in Satara and the hills about. 794.—Turtur senegalensis, Zin. Common throughout the district, where it also breeds. 795.—Turtur suratensis, Gmel. Common in Sholapoor during the rains. 796.—Turtur risoria, Linn. Common, and breeds. 797.—Turtur tranquebarica, Herm. Common, and breeds. 800.—Pterocles fasciatus, Scop. Abundant in several suitable localities, but not commonly distributed. Breeds in March. 802.—Pterocles exustus, Temm. Very common, and appears to breed at all seasons. 803.—Pavo cristatus, Linn. Common in suitable localities. 813.—Gallus sonneratii, Temminch. Common along all the ghats, and observed in the granite hills at Nulwar. AVIFAUNA OF THE DECCAN. 87 814.—Galloperdix spadiceus, Gmel. Common along the ghats. Nest procured in March, near Lanoli. $19.—Francolinus pictus, Jard and Selby. Common, and breeds in September. 822.—Ortygornis ponticeriana, Gmel. Common ; breeding in March and again in the rains. 826.—Perdicula asiatia, Lath. Common in the hills at Satara and Nulwar. 827.—Perdicula argoondah, Sykes. Very common, and breeds. §28.—Perdicula erythrorhyncha, Sykes. Only one specimen procured at Sholapoor, and one near - Poona. Observed in the Satara hills. $29.—Coturnix communis, Bonnaterre. Very common between November and end of March. This year (1877) this appeared in the Deccan early in September. 830.—Coturnix coromandelica, Gmel. Very common, and breeds from about first August to middle of October. 832.—Turnix taigoor, Sykes. Sparingly scattered all over the district, and breeds. 835.—Turnix dussumieri, Tem. Common and breeds. 836.—Eupodotis edwardsii, Gray. Common and breeds. It is very much more common during the rains and cold season than at other times. 839.—Syphectides aurita, Latham. Common throughout the plains of the Deccan, breeding freely in the vicinity of Sholapoor during September and October. 840.—Cursorius coromandelicus, Gmel. Common, and breeds. 88 A CONTRIBUTION TO THE 842.—Glareola orientalis, Leach. D. has seen it on the River Bhima during the cold season. 843.—Glareola lactea, Temm. D. observed it to be common on the River Bhima in the cold season. 845.—Charadrius fulvus, Gi. Very rare; observed on two or three occasions only. 849.— Aigialitis curonicus, Gm. Common, and breeds from December to May. 852.—Chettusia gregaria, Pallas. Common in some parts of the district during the cold weather. 855.—Lobivanellus indicus, Bodd. Common, and breeds from March to August. 856.—Lobipluvia malabarica, Bodd. Common ; breeding from May to July. 858.—Ksacus recurvirostris, Cuvier. Not uncommon. 859.—Aidicnemus scolopax, S. G. Ginel. Not uncommon. 865.—Grus communis, Bechstern. Tolerably common during the cold season. 866.—Anthropoides virgo, Linn. This is the kuélwm of the Deccan, which it visits in immense flocks in the cold season. 870.—Gallinago sthenura, Kuhl. Common in the cold weather. 871.—Gallinago scolopacina, Bonap. Somewhat commoner than G. sthenura, during the cold weather. 872.—Gallinago gallinula, Zinn. Common in the cold season, but far less so than either of the two last species, AVIFAUNA OF THE DECCAN, 89 873.—Rhynchea bengalensis, Linn. Common. Observed at all seasons and we believe breeds here. 877.—Numenius lineatus, Cuv. Observed, but very rarely. 880.—Machetes pugnax, Linz. D. got one specimen from a small flock which arrived at Pundharpur early in September last. He saw another large flock towards the end of the month. 882.—Tringa subarquata, Guild. W. shot two or three at Sholapoor, in June 1874. 884.—Tringa minuta, Lezsler. Very common in the cold weather. 891.—Actitis glareola, Lin. Very common in the cold season. 892.—Actitis ochrophus, Linz. Very common in the cold season. 893.—Actitis hypoleucus, Linn. Also very common. 894.—Totanus glottis, Linn. A common cold weather visitant. 895.—Totanus stagnatilis, Bechstein. This also is common. 897.—Totanus calidris, Linn. Observed, but rarely. 898.—Himantopus candidus, Bonn. Common in the cold season. 901.—Hydrophasianus chirurgus, Scop. Sparingly observed. Believed to breed. 902.—Porphyrio poliocephalus, Lath. Sparingly scattered all over the district in suitable localities, and believed to breed. 12 90 A CONTRIBUTION TO THE 903.—Fulica atra, Linn. Very common. Probably breeds. 905.—Gallinula chloropus, Zinn. Not rare. 907.—Erythra pheenicura, Pennant. Tolerably common, and breeds. Five nests taken at Nulwar in July. 909.—Porzana maruetta, Leach. Not rare. D. has obtained several specimens. 915.—Leptoptilus argala, Lath. Very rare, but we have observed it. D. saw one feeding with a lot of Vultures. 916.—Leptoptilus javanicus, Horsfield. W. is sure that he has seen this bird on more than one occa- sion about the marshy tanks on the outskirts of the Nulwar jungles. It is, however, a very rare visitant, and seen in the rainy season only. 917.—Xenorhynchus asiaticus, oP. D. is almost certain that he has observed this species. 918.—Ciconia nigra, Linn. D. observed it in two places in the Sholapoor Collectorate— once in November and again in January. 919.—Ciconia alba, Belon. Moderately common. 920.—Melanopelargus episcopus, Bodd. Common; generally seen in pairs. D. got nests in the Sholapoor District in December and January, and observed birds breeding at Satara in February. 923.—Ardea cinerea, Linn. Common. Apparently does not breed in the Sholapoor District. 924.—Ardea purpurea, Linz. Sparingly observed. AVIFAUNA OF THE DECCAN. 91 925.—Herodias torra, Buch. Ham. Abundant, . 926.—Herodias intermedia, Hasselt. Common. 927.—Herodias garzetta, Linn. Also common. 929.—Bubulcus coromandus, Bodd. Numerous during the rains and cold season. D. knows two places in the Sholapoor Collectorate, where it breeds in the hot weather. 930.—Ardeola grayii, Sykes. Common. 931.—Butorides javanica, Horsfield. Very common in Satara wherever the river and canal banks are well wooded. 934.—Ardetta sinensis, Gime. Not common. D. gota single specimen in some reeds at Pundharpur in October. 937.—Nycticorax griseus, Linn. Moderately common. 938.—Tantalus leucocephalus, Gmelin. Sparingly observed, but D. has seen it constantly on the Pundharpur tank. He does not think it breeds in the Shola- poor Collectorate. It does so higher up the Bhima in the Ahmednugger district. 939.—Platalea leucorodia, Zinn. Common, and breeds in April and May. 940.—Anastomus oscitans, Bodd. Not uncommon in the Bhima during the rains and cold season. 941.—Ibis melanocephala, Lath. Not rare. D., having observed them this year on the Bhima from October until about the middle of July, concludes that they probably breed in the district. - §2 A CONTRIBUTION TO THE ~ 942.—Inocotis papillosus, Temm. Common, breeding in May and again during the last three months of the year. We do not think the same pairs breed twice. 943.—Falcinellus igneus, S. G. Gmel. Towards the end of September last D. saw a single specimen at Pundharpur. 944.—Phcenicopterus roseus, Pallas. Observed, but very rarely. 950.—Sarkidiornis melanonotus, Pennant. Moderately common in the'rains and cold weather. 951.—Nettapus coromandelianus, Gmel. Moderately common during the rainy and cold seasons. 952.—Dendrocygna javanica, Horsf. Somewhat rare in the more open parts of the country, but very common about the wooded districts in the rains and cold weather. 953.—Dendrocygna fulva, Gm. W. is sure that he has observed this species at Nulwar and shot several in 1873. 954.—Casarca rutila, Pallas. Tolerably common on all the rivers; staying with us until nearly the end of the hot weather.* 957—Spatula clypeata, Zz. Not uncommon during winter. 959.—Anus peecilorhyncha, Penn. Common, and having been observed at several places in the district during July and August, we assume that it breeds in these parts. 961.—Chaulelasmus streperus, Linn. A very common winter visitant. * This if correct is curious, as they begin to breed about the (Tsomorari, Tsokhar, the Upper Indus, &c., in May, and the young are in the water sometimes, by the middle of July. —A, O, H, AVIFAUNA OF THE DECCAN, 93 962. —-Dafila acuta, Linn. Observed, but in no great numbers. 963.—Mareca penelope, Linn. Quite as common as the Gadwall. 964.—Querquedula crecca, Linn. Commoner even than the Gadwall. 965.—Querquedula circia, Linn. Very common. 968.—Fuligula ferina, Zinn. Tolerably common in the cold season according to W.’s experience, but D. calls it a rare visitant. 969.—Aythya nyroca, Giild. Procured, but it is rare. 971.—Fulix cristata, Lin. Fairly common. 975.—Podiceps minor, Gmel. Common, and breeds in the rains. 983.—Gelochelidon anglica, Montague. Rare, but a few remain with us all through the year accord- ing to D., but W. has observed them in the rains and winter only. 984.—Hydrochelidon hybrida, Pal. The remarks in regard to the last species apply to this also. 987.—Sterna melanogastra, Temm. Very common on all the rivers, where it also breeds. 995.—Rhynchops albicollis, Swainson. Observed by D., who says it is not common. 1004:—Pelecanus philippensis, Gel. Very rare. D. observed a single specimen on the tank at Pundharpur, in September this year. 1006.—Phalacrocorax fuscicollis, Steph. W. has identified this bird at Nulwar, and is almost positive that he has observed it at Sholapoor. D. has not seen it. 94, A CONTRIBUTION TO THE 1007.—Phalacrocorax pygmeus, Pail. Very common. 1008.—Plotus melanogaster, Gmelin. Sparingly scattered all over the district, and believed, to breed. Our list numbers 255, whilst Mr. Fairbank’s “List of Birds collected in the vicinity a Khandala, &c.,” (vide Vol. IV., STRAY FEATHERS) numbers 314 species. We have noted 44 species which are not included by Mr. Fairbank ; these are as follows :— 9.—Faleo peregrinator. o7 .—Aquila mogilnik. 28.—Aquila clanga. 50.—Circus cyaneus. 98.—Cypselus melba. 120.—Merops persicus. 144,—Meniceros bicornis. 171.—Gecinus striolatus. 199.—Cuculus canorus. 216.—Bhopodytes viridirostris. 219.—Taccocua leschenaultii. 273.—Pericrocotus brevirostris. 639.—Cisticola cursitans. 691 bis.—Motacilla dukhunensis. 767.—Alauda gulgula. 769.—Galerida cristata. 842.—Glareola orientalis. 843.—Glareola lactea. 852.—Chettusia gregaria. 858.—EHsacus recurvirostris. 870.—Gallinago sthenura. 877.—Numenius lineatus. Mr. Fairbank’s list contains observed, as follows :— 25.—Accipiter virgatus. 32.—Neopus malaiensis. 34 —Limnaetus caligatus. 35.—Limnaetus cirrhatus. 48.—Butastur teesa. 56 bis.—Milvus melanotis. 61-—Strix candida. 63,—Syrnium indranee. 74 sept.—Scops brucei. 91.—Ptyonoprogne rupestris. 104.—Dendrochelidon coronata. 113.—Caprimulgus mahrattensis, 114,—Caprimulgus monticolus. 115.—Harpactes fasciatus. 118.—Merops philippinus. 119.—Merops leschenaulti. 127.—Pelargopsis gurial. 140.—Dichoceros cavatus. 141.—Hydrocissa coronata. 145.—Tockus griseus. 153,—Loriculus vernalis. 880.—Machetes pugnax. 882.—Tringa subarquata, 884.—Tringa minuta. 897.—Totanus calidris. 905.—Gallinula chloropus. 916.—Leptoptilus javanicus. 917.—Xenorhynchus asiaticus. 934.—Ardetta sinensis. 943.—Falcinellus igneus. 950.—Sarkidiornis melanonotus. 951.—Nettapus coromandelianus. 962.—Dafila acuta. 963.—Mareca penelope. 968.—Fuligula ferina. 969.—Aythya nyroca. 971.—Fulix cristata. 983.—Gelochelidon angelica. 984.—Hydrochelidon hybrida, 987.—Sterna melanogastra. 995.—Rhynchops albicollis. 1004.—Pelecanus philippensis. 1006.—Phalacrocorax fuscicollis. 103 species, which we have not 164.—Yungipicus nanus. 179.—Micropternus gularis. 181.—Brachypternus puncticollis. 193 bis.—Megaleema inornata. 198.—Xantholema malabarica. 202.—Cuculus sonnerati. 205.—Hierococcyx varius. 208.—Cacomantis passerinus. 222.—Taccocua aflinis. 233.—Cinnyris minima. 238.—Diceum erythrorhyncha. 239.—Diczeum concolor. 24.0.—Piprisoma agile. 253,—Dendrophila frontalis. 261,.—Lanius cristatus. 267.—Hemipus picatus. 270.—Gyraucalus macei. 27'7.—Pericrocotus erythropygius. 280.—Buchanga longicaudata, 282,—Chaptia cenea. 285,-—Dissemurus paradiseus, AVIFAUNA OF THE DECCAN. 95 290.—Hypothymis azurea. 309.—Cyornis pallipes. - 310.—Muscicapula superciliaris. 354.—Geocichla cyanotis. 356.—Geocichla unicolor. 359.—Merula nigropileus. 398.—Dumetia albogularis. 399.—Pellorneum ruficeps. 433.—Malacocircus griseus, 435.—Malacocircus somervillei. 437,.—Layardia subrufa. 446.—Hypsipetes ganeesa. 450.— Criniger ictericus. 464,—Phyllornis malabaricus. 469.—Irena puella. 471.—Oriolus indicus. 476.—Cercotrichas macrura. 488.—Saxicola opistholeuca, 491.—Saxicola isabellina, 492.—Saxicola deserti. 514.—Cyanecula suecica. 515.—Acrocephalus stentorius. 516.—Acrocephalus dumetorum. 538.—Prinia hodgsoni. 651-—Franklinia buchanani. 654.—Phylloscopus tristis. 6§58.—Phylloscopus lugubris. 659.—Phylloscopus nitidus. 660.—Phylloscopus viridanus, 561.—Phylloscopus affinis. 563.—Reguloides occipitalis. 565.—Reguloides proregulus. 6§82,—Sylvia affinis. 683.—Sylvia curruca, 591 bis.—Motacilla dukhunensig, 595,—Limonidromus indicus. 601,—Corydalla striolata. 602.—Agrodroma campestris, 603,—Agrodroma similis, 645.—Parus cesius. 686,—Acridotheres fuscus, 701.—Munia striata. 704.—Estrelda amandava. 705.—Estrelda formosa. 716.—Emberiza huttoni. 724,—Melophus melanicterus. 738.—Carpodacus erythrinus. 761.—Calandrella brachydactyla. 768.—Alauda malabarica. 775.—Osmotreron malabarica. 786.—Palumbus elphinstonei. 792,—Turtur rupicolus. 844.—Squatarola helvetica. 885.—Tringa temminckii, 900.—Parra indica. 910.—Porzana bailloni. 928.—Demiegretta gularis. 933.—Ardetta cinnamomea. 960.—Anas caryophyllacea. 967.—Fuligula rufina, 985.—Seena aurantia, In Stray Featuers, Vol. V., p. 503, Captain Butler adds three species to Mr. Fairbank’s list, viz. 133.—Ceyx tridactyla, Pall. 165.—Hemicircus cordatus, Jerd. 798.—Chaicophaps indicus, Lizn. 3 Making, if all the species have been correctly identified, a total of 361. S Make iv Oodeypore. Tue native state of Oodeypore, by far the most beautiful district in Rajpootana, boasts, amongst other attractions, a num- ber of artificial lakes, which include some of the largest in the Eimpire. The largest of all, the Deba Lake, covers, when full, probably over 100 square miles of country. Of the second class of these lakes, Kunkrowlee, probably about half the size of the Deba, is the most celebrated. All these lakes have been formed in the same way, viz., by blocking up with huge dams the drainage outlets of tracts, elsewhere more or less entirely encompassed by low ranges of rocky hills. 96 A LAKE IN OODEYPORE. At Kunkrowlee there were two such outlets, the more impor- tant of which, perhaps 500 yards in length, is blocked by a ma- sonry and earthwork dam, 120 feet high in the centre, double this _ in width, and entirely faced on the lake side with endless syinme- trical flights of steps, terraces and piers, adorned with beautiful many-pillared summer houses, ornamental gateways and the like, all constructed entirely of white marble, truly squared and laid, and, in the case of the summer houses and gateways, elaborately and beautifully carved. | At either end of the dam rise to a height of two or three hun- dred feet, dark rocky hillocks, sparsely besprinkled with dwarf trees and stunted bushes, and crowned with picturesque but ruined castles. Right and left, as far as the eye can reach, stretch the blue waters of the placid lake, while opposite, in the far dis- tance, a thin ill-defined hazy line indicates the distant shore. I spent a week last cold weather in a camp pitched upon this magnificent “bund,” (as the dams are called by the Indians), and as we explored the avifauna of the lake pretty thoroughly— and as this represents fairly that of hundreds of other similar large and small sheets of water spread throughout the country— I propose to notice briefly every species that I met with there. I do this the more readily that, so far as I know, no list of any kind has ever been given of any birds from Oodeypore. In fact, so inaccessible has this state remained until quite lately to all Huropeans, except the particular Political Agent in charge, that I doubt whether a single specimen has ever been preserved within its limits until I visited it this year. I marched through far too small a portion of the state, (only in fact the country lying between the Deysuri Pass of the Aravallis and Kunkrowlee, and this latter and Mhairwarrah) to attempt any general list of the Birds of the State, but the lake itself was fairly exhaustively dealt with. _ The lake is a favourable example of one type of our Indian sheets of water, viz., of that devoid of cover on the banks, and rushes, and the like near the margins ; and this type yields a much smaller number of species than those of the other type where the lake, embosomed in cover, is fringed and skirted and be-greened with belts and islets of rush and reed. Here in many places the bare rock goes down steep into the water, and elsewhere the margin is hard bare earth or sand, here and there thinly veiled in short turf. It boasts an island or two it is true, but these are bare and rocky, homes only for Cormorants, though on one of them a single tree that has man- aged to struggle up to a respectable altitude, bears a huge nest of Haliactus leucoryphus, which, when we visited the place early in March, contained two fully-fledged young ones,just able to fly. A LAKE IN OODEYPORE. 97 No other bird of prey was seen on the lake, no Osprey, no Peregrine, no Spotted Eagle. About the water Hirundo rustica, H. fluvicola and Cypselus afinis abounded. Ceryle rudis hovered over the water, ever and anon making sudden plunges, and Halcyon smyrnensis sat sulkily here ‘and there, perched indeed on stakes planted in, or mud walls overlooking, the water, but clearly considering "this no concern of his. otacilla mader aspatana, Budytes flava and cinereocapilla trotted about at the waters’? edge, to which Sparrows, a few Blue Pigeons, common Mynahs (A. tristis) and Starlings came down to drink. In one place, on some trees overhanging the water, was a flock of the Indian Rose- headed Paroquet (ee POO and inthe bushes around them I shot a pair of Gray’s Sirkeer (Taccocua sirhee, vide S. F., V, 219) and saw several Indian Finch Larks (Pyrrhulauda grisea.) A short distance inland, of course, there were many other species of land birds, but these were all I saw actually over the lake or by its margins. Of shore birds there were but few. A single Snipe (G. scolo- pacina) was observed leisurely walking about the bare bank, in broad daylight, and poached without law, under the impression that he was something else, no one expecting to find a real Snipe in such a situation. Tringa minuta, Lobivanellus indicus, Hi- mantopus candidus, Actitis glareola, Machetes pugnax, and a few Limosa aegocephala standing about in the shallow water were all we secured, and I believe all that were to be seen. Of waders, the Coromandel Shell-eater, numerous Herons, grey, white and purple, the Little Heret, and the Pond Heron were all that were te be found. There were no Rails, though on a patch some acres in extent of floating water weeds, the Indian Jacana (Parra indica) and the Water Pheasant (4. chirurgus) were abundant. We saw no Water Hens, but on the lake myriads of Coots brooded in dusky clouds, to rise with a surging roar like that of the waves cn a shingly beach, at the first gun shot. Indeed the whole lake, except towards its margin, was as remarkable for the enormous number of Water Fowl it har- boured, as were its shores for the paucity of other birds. There are xo boats on the lake. The only one available being one specially brought out for our delectation by H. H. the Maharajah, who had come out to meet and receive us. The consequence was that the Water Fowl were absolutely unmo- lested except when they ventured within 50 yards of the shore, which, I think, few but Teal and Shovellers ever did. Conspicuous, in enormous pinky-white legions, were the common Flamingo, of which there were many, many, thousands, 13 98 A LAKE IN OODEYPORE. scattered about the further and shallower portions of the lake. Great numbers of the Bar-headed Goose, in parties of from 50 to 300, were to be seen in all directions, and often intermingled with these small families of the Black-backed Goose (Sarhidi- ornis melanonotus). No other Geese were met with; no Cotton or Whistling Teal, (Nettapus coromandelianus, Dendrocygna javanica) no Brahminy’s (Casarca rutila) or Shell Drakes, but Shovellers (chiefly along the shores) Mallards, Grey Duck (A. pocilorhyncha), Gadwall, Pintail, Widgeon, the White-eyed Duck (Aythya nyroca), and Common Teal in a profusion that would baffle description, and if described would exceed belief. The Red-crested Pochard (fuligula rufina) was to be met with continually, diving and swimming about in densely agglomerated bands, and most plentiful of all the Ducks, the Tufted Duck or Indian Golden-eye (Fulix cristata) rivalled in numbers even the swarming tribes of Coots. Dab-chicks popped up and down around one whichever way we steered, and here and there the long white snake- like necks of the Crested Grebe caught the eye against a dense black background of Coots and Cormorants. These latter, both the common kind (P. carbo) and the little one (2. pygmaus) abounded, many occupied in fishing lustily, but the majority, perhaps, sunning themselves with out- spread wings, in company with the Silver-laced Snake-bird (Plotus melanogaster) on every rock, island or stake that the lake afforded. As for Pelicans, I have only once or twice in my life seen such a display. There were only two species—one the silvery crispus, the other the huge, pinky birds that we in India have hitherto (as I now think.erroneously) called onocrotalus, but of these there were simply miles. As far as I could judge, however— for they all kept mixed up in the same flocks—crispus was greatly in a minority. The only Gulls were ZL. ridibundus and brunneicephalus, both plentiful to a degree, flying about everywhere or floating lazily along conspicuous in their delicate tints amongst the inky droves of Coots. As for Terns, I cannot wholly account for it, but there were absolutely none. S. melanogastra and seena were doubtless away already to their breeding haunts, the sandy islands of some river, and the place was not suited to the Whiskered Tern (A. hybrida), but S. caspius might have been confidently expected to occur on such a vast sheet of water, and the Gull- billed Tern could hardly have left so early. Be the cause as it may, however, not one single true Tern did I see during the WILD SWANS IN SIND. 99 whole week, of which I spent several hours daily on the lake. I did, however, see several parties of a bird that I never should have expected to meet with, and this was the Scissor- Bill or Skimmer (Rhynchops albicollis). Of all the thousands of times that I have met with this, in Upper India, extremely common bird, never once till this time had_I seen it anywhere but on the larger rivers, on whose churs it breeds, as every ego-collector here knows, in countless numbers. I once doubted (Vol. IV., 82 ; V. 225) the occurrence of this species on the little lake at Aboo, some 80 or 90 miles west of Kankrowlee, but after seeing so many on this lake, I can quite understand that some of these, on their way to the estuary of the Loonee, where numbers are said to breed, may have paid a passing visit to the Aboo Lake which lies directly in their route. Asi: Os He ils Swans iv Sind. By W. T. Buanrorp. Some Wild Swans were first seen in Sind in January last, in the Manchhar Lake, near Sehwan, by Mr. H. E. Watson. Subsequently on February 12th, 1878, Mr. Watson had the good fortune to find a small flock of five in another part of the Sehwan district, and to shoot three. He has sent me the skins of two, with a request that I would identify them. I may perhaps say at once that the skins are, I think, unquestionably adults of the Mute Swan, Cygnus olor, the same as the Tame Swans of English rivers and ponds, and that this is the first time that the adult bird has been obtained in India, or that any Swap, so far as I am aware, has been noticed in India so far to the southward. Two previous notices of the occurrence of Wild Swans in India have been cited by Mr. Brooks (Proc. A. 8. B., 1872, p- 63). The first was by Mr. Hodgson, who procured a speci- men in the valley of Nepal. The skin was lost or not preserved, but a drawing was taken, and by means of this the species was identified with C. ferus, under which name the bird is quoted in both the British Museum Catalogues of Mr. Hodgson’s col- lections. The identification was confirmed by Mr. Brooks, from an examination of the original drawing. 100 WILD SWANS IN SIND. The second notice was by Mr. Hume in the Jéis for 1871, p- 412, where he described a pair of immature specimens obtained by Captain Unwin in the Upper Punjab, and proposed for them the name of C. unwint. It was, however, shown by the Editor that the specimens in question were probably the young of C. olor. This conclusion is strongly supported by the capture of adults of the same species in Sind, and by a specimen shot at Attock by Lieutenant Hill of the Rifle Brigade, on the 17th January 1878, and presented to the Indian Museum, Calcutta. This last-mentioned skin is not fully adult, being slightly greyish and with the tubercle on the bill undeveloped, but the species is unmistakeable. Mr. Watson wrote to me the following account of the capture of these Swans: “I shot three Swans this morning. As far as I can judge they are identical with the English species” (thatis the Tame Swan); ‘“ there were five on a small ‘dhand’ or tank, about half a mile or less in length by a quarter of a mile or less in breadth. I went to shoot ducks, but seeing these large white birds, I went after them and recognized them to be the same as those I had seen on the Manchhar. They let a boat get pretty close and IT shot one. The other four flew round the tank a few times and then settled on it again. I went up im the boat and fired again, but without effect. They flew round and then settled again. The third time I shot another; the three remaining again flew round and settled, and the fourth time I fired I did not kill. Exactly the same thing happened, the birds flew round and settled close to me and I shot a third. The remaining two flew a little distance and settled, but I thought it would be a pity to kill them. I considered that there would be more than I could skin myself (for I have no one that can do it for me) so I began to shoot ducks, and then the two remaining swans flew by me, one on the right and one on the left, so that I could easily have knocked them over with small shots. However I spared them and came home with three.” Mr. Watson also sent me full details of coloration, measurements, and weight. From these anda few additional measurements on the dried skins I take the following account :— The colour of all was pure-white with a slight buff or golden tint on the head; (this has disappeared from the dried skins, and may perhaps have been due to the feathers being stained). The bill was orange, varying in depth of color, and in one bird pale buff; the tip of the mandible, the lores, and a patch extending back from the nostril to the base of the tubercle, black; the tubercle was all black in one specimen, black with FURTHER NOTES ON THE SWANS OF INDIA. 101 the anterior portion orange in another; legs black. The following are measurements :— No} No.2: Nous: feet inch feet inch feet inch. Length from tip of bill to end of tail ... 4-105 5—2 5—0 EXxpanse sch 96 i O--0 7—0 6—10 Closed wing... cise Pen) iG) DT tel Vases Tail from vent ... ace ... O—9-75 O—10-25 O—9-75 Do. from insertion of tail feathers .. O—9 O—= TO Oh ise Wings short of end of tail ... .. O—6-25 O—8-75 O0—6 Bill from gape ... ee .. O—3-75 0-3-8 ...... Tarsus measured on inner side ww. O—3-8 O—4-2 0... Weight ae 174 ibs. 19ibs. 173ibs. The occurrence of these birds so far to the southward must be very rare and exceptional. As previously noticed the fishermen of Sind, all of whom are fowlers by profession, and of course thoroughly acquainted with every aquatic bird in the country, had never seen swans before, and did not know what they were, so the fact of two different flocks being seen by one observer in the course of the same season is very remarkable. Mr. Watson is, I believe, so far as is known, the first sportsman who has ever killed an adult wild swan in India. Kurther slotes on the Swans of Andin. THE past winter has been an unusually severe one in Western India, and in Sindh especially* has resulted in the appearance of several very unexpected visitors, paleearctic forms not hither- to recorded from this province. Amongst these are the Common Swan, (C. olor) in regard to which Mr. Blanford has written fully, and of which one fine adult specimen has been added to our Museum by the kindness of Mr. H. E. Watson, of the Sindh Commission. Swans have long been known to be almost regular cold weather visitants to the extreme north-western portions of the Empire, viz., to the Huzara and Peshawur districts, and a certain amount of information as to their occurrence elsewhere and at other sea- sons has accumulated, which it may be as well to puton record. The first Swan, of which we have any record, is one shot in the valley of Nepal, in January 1829, and which, although the specimen was destroyed by insects, has been with some confi- dence assigned by Mr. Brooks and others to C. ferus. In re- gard to this Mr. Hodgson notes ona copy of his Catalogue which he sent me :— “The valley of Nepal is sub-tropical, and of course no habitat for the Swan. The specimen I got was obtained in a winter * See Mr, Murray’s paper, page 108. 102 FURTHER NOTES ON THE SWANS OF INDIA. of very unusual severity. The bird must be a purely acciden- tal straggler, as I could not learn that any like it had ever be- fore been seen in Nepal.” In reply to queries of mine on the subject, Dr. Scully says : ‘¢ T have made enquiries from a number of Nepalese, and I can- not find any one now remaining who ever remembers to have seen a wild Swan in the valley.” “In Asiatic Researches, XVIII, pt. II., 125, Hodgson gives Cygnus as one of the Natatores which usually pass over the valley, seldom alighting, and only for a few hours.” “ At page 127 he adds: India, I fancy, is too hot for the taste’ of the Natatores, a great majority of which seem to affect Arctic regions, or at least high latitudes. I throw out the re- mark for canvass and enquiry, and for fear I should deceive any one by the display of the genus Cygnus at the head of my list, I must add that the wild Swan was never seen here (valley of Nepal) but once in the mid winter of 1828, when the ap- parition suggested a new version of the well-known hexameter “ Rara avis in terris, alboque simillima cygno.” The next occurrence of Swans, of which I have a reeord, was near Peshawur, in 1857, when a small flock were seen, and one shot and placed in the Peshawur Museum, whence it was sent to me by Sir F. Pollock in, I think, 1867. This Swan was shot by W. Mahomed Oomer Khan, who wrote to me about it as follows :— “In the month of January 1857, I shot this Swan in the Peshawur District on the Shah Alum River, about a mile and a half on this side of the Cabul River. Neither before nor after have I seen other Swans, but a few years after I killed it, I heard from the shikaris of Hushtnugger (also in the Peshawur District) that they had recently seen five of these birds in the Agra village lake, in this same district, but had failed to shoot any.” The specimen had been so entirely ruined by exposure and insects that I could not be certain what species it belonged to, although from what remained of the bill and head I guessed it to be C. olor. In 1871 Captain Unwin, of the 5th Goorkhas, sent me the skins of a pair of Swans with the following extract from his diary, under date 17th January 1871 :— “To-day, while Duck shooting on the Jubbee stream on the border of the Hazara and Rawul Pindee Districts, during a short halt for breakfast on the banks of the nullah, I was attracted by seeing two large white birds flying over the stream some 250 yards lower down. The Jubbee has here a wide stony bed with a small stream in the centre, forming occasional pools, in FURTHER NOTES ON THE SWANS OF INDIA. 103 one of which the birds seemed inclined to alight. Changing their intention, however, they came flying up, and passing me about 60 yards off; to my surprise and delight I recognised in them most undoubted wild Swans. Firing with loose shot at that distance was useless; so I watched in the hope that they would settle in some of the pools higher up tbe stream, and thereby afford a stalk, but they continued their slow, heavy flight until I lost them in the distance. ** Concluding that they would not stop till they reached the Indus some 20 miles off, I was returning to my breakfast, a sadder and a wiser man, when in taking a last look in their direction I saw them returning. I hastily got in the centre of the nullah in their line of flight, and as they rose slightly to avoid me, fired both barrels, No. 3 shot, at the leader. She (for it proved to be the female) staggered, but went on, slowly sinking, till she settled in a large pool, about 400 yards off, accompanied by her mate, which alighted close beside her. “The pool, being commanded by a high bank, offered an easy stalk, and getting round into a favorable position, I found the Swans within 20 yards of me. A crowd of Gadwall (C. streperus) which was closé by, took flight on seeing me, but the male Swan stuck nobly by his mate and paid dearly for his fidelity, and shortly I had the satisfaction of landing them both. “‘ The villagers who collected to see the birds gave the local name as “Penr” (pronounced with a nasal”), and told me that the birds came there occasionally once in every three or fours years.’ I may here notice that in other parts of Upper India this name “ Penr”’ is usually applied to Pelicans. On the specimens sent by Captain Unwin I made the following remarks in the Ibis, 1871, 412 :-— “Neither of these Swans is adult. The general colour of the lower surface is a dull white; of the upper whitey-brown ; the crown and occiput wood-brown; the greater portion of the wing, the scapulars, and rump are wood, or sandy brown. There is nowhere any trace of a “sooty grey.” The brown is essen- tially a buffy or sandy brown, though here and there, as in the feathers of the base of the neck, a faint greyish shade is inter- mingled. “These birds are, therefore, clearly not the Polish Swan, which is white at all ages. The bill exhibits no trace of a tubercle ; the feathers of the forehead are prolonged to a point, only very slightly truncated. The colouring of the soft parts was carefully noted in the fresh specimen by Captain Unwin, and even in the dried specimen is clearly distinguishable. If from each side of the frontal tongue of feathers, about half an inch 104 FURTHER NOTES ON THE SWANS OF INDIA. from its point, a slightly curving line be drawn to a point on the edge of the upper mandible about a quarter of an inch from the gape, the whole of the space enclosed by such line between it and the eye is perfectly black. At the extreme point of the frontal feathers again is a black band, about a quarter of an inch wide, which extends right and left over the whole nareal space. The nail is black; the rest of the bill was light grey. The legs and feet, 1 may add, were greyish black. Both male and female, though differing somewhat in size, are precisely similar, both as regards plumage .and coloration of the bill. The bill is slightly spatulate. In the male the upper mandible is 1:1 wide opposite the nostrils, and 1:23 wide near the tip. The following are dimensions of both birds measured in the flesh :— Male.—Length, 55:5; expanse, 8437; wing, 20:12; tail from vent, 8:5; bill at front, straight from termination of frontal plumes to tip, 3°5; from anterior angle of eye, 5°15; from gape, 4; tarsus, 4°05; mid toe to root of claw, 5; hind toe, 1; foot, greatest length, 8°37 ; breadth, 6°62. Weight, 15 ibs. Female.—ULength, 53:12; expanse, 82°37; wing, 21°38; bill at front from frontal plumes straight to tip, 3°55; from anterior angle of eye, 4°75 ; from gape, 3°9; tarsus, 3°8 ; mid toe to root of claw, 4°8; hind toe, 0°7; foot greatest length, 7°5; greatest width, 65. Weight, 13 tbs. In both the irides were dark brown. . I could not at the time satisfactorily identify these birds, and concluded that they were either the young of olor or buccinator, or of some undescribed species. If the latter should prove to be the case, I suggested for them the name of wnwini, but I did not unconditionally, as Mr. Blanford gives us to understand, propose for them this name. The Editor of the Jbis suggested that they were probably the young of o/or, in which identification, having now compared them with an adult, I can entirely concur. In the cold weather of 1871-72, Dr. Stoliczka, when in Cutch, thought he saw Swans there. He says, J. A. 8. B, 1872, 229: “ While crossing the Rann from Kachh to Pachain early in November (1871), I noticed several Swans, but at too great a distance for it to be possible to forman idea as to the species the birds belonged to.”’ Until recently I had always considered, (S. F., IV., 33) that Stoliczka, being very short-sighted, had mistaken Pelicans {the white P. crispus abounds there) for Swans, but the recent occurrence of Swans in Sindh renders if not improbable that Stoliczka was right after all. FURTHER NOTES ON THE SWANS OF INDIA. 105 Between 1872 and 1876 I received notices of Swans being killed on three oc¢asions, on the Swat and Cabul rivers, in the Peshawur District, and in Kohat near one of our salt mines, in November, January, and February. In one case a pair, in an- other three, and in the last case five were seen, one being shot in each case, but none preserved. In 1877 Captain Butler learnt from some of the telegraph officers in the Persian Gulf that Swans had been occasionally seen about the head of that gulf, and the mouths of the Eu- phrates. I may mention that Major St. John obtained a single imma- ture specimen of a Swan at Teheran, which has been with some hesitation referred to C. ferus. During the winter he informs me that Swans abound on the southern shores of the Caspian, especially in the huge Murdab (or dead water) back water be- tween Hnzeli and Resht. According to Pallas, Zoogr. Ross. As., II., 210—217, Cygnus ferus (which he calls olor, and under which he apparently includes bewick) is extremely abundant in the Caspian wintering in the Southern portion, while olor (which he calls sébelus) is, it may be gathered from his remarks, Jess numerous in the localities he visited, (he only touched the northern shores of the Caspian), and affects more temperate climes than ferus. From Severstzoff we know that both Cygnus ferus and C. olor occur and breed in parts of Eastern Turkestan, the Issik-kul, and country south of Lake Balkash; and he also mentions a Cygnus altumi, of Homeyer, as occurring there—a species of which I never previously heard, and which I have not had time to trace. Dr. Scully, it will be remembered (S. F., IV., 179,) saw captive specimens of C. olor near Kashghar itself, and was in- formed that it was extremely plentiful further north at Aksu, and further east at Lob. Prjevalsky mentions both C. ferus and olor as observed as migrant, (and as possibly breeding in some localities) in S. E. Mongolia, Kokonor, and Dalainor, &c., and he also refers to C. bewickit as seen in company with three others. Both Swinhoe and David and Oustalet give Cygnus ferus and Cygnus bewicki as occurring in China, at any rate as far south as Shanghai, together with another smaller Swan, C. davidi of Swinhoe, which Taczanowski, according to David and Oustalet,* is most unaccountably inclined to unite with C. sibilus, Pallas, which is quite clearly C. olor. * Pére David and his confrére remark that Pallas has indicated a Swan “en termes fort vagues, sous le nom de Cygnus sibilus.’ I must dissent from this. I think Pallas in his Zoogr. Ross. As., p. 216, about as explicitly indicates olor by his sibilus by contrasting it with ferus (his olor, (a) major) as it was possible for any one to do, 14 106 FURTHER NOTES ON THE SWANS OF INDIA, Throughout the whole tract therefore north, north-east, and north-west of us frorn Teheran to Sanghai there are plenty of Swans, and it is by on means surprising that in severe winters some Of these should extend their migrations to the more northern portions of this empire. During this past cold season Swans have been numerous in the far North West. One was killed, as mentioned by Mr. Blan- ford, near Attock in January, and I heard of two others being killed in the Peshawur district in February, and of many others being seen. In February, too, Mr. Watson killed the Swans referred to by Mr. Blanford in Sindh. But the most remarkable instances have yet to be noticed. On the 8rd of June, Major Waterfield telegraphed to me that a Swan had just been shot. Later he wrote: ““The Swan was killed on the Ojca Jheel on the 3rd of June; there were a pair, but the other flew away. The bird that I have had preserved for you measured exactly 5 feet in length and 7 feet 5 inches in expanse. The feet and legs were black ; the upper mandible is reddish white ; its edge, lores, and lower mandible black.” A few days later Mr. D. B. Sinclair wrote to say that he had killed another Swan, a male, on the Ist of June at the Gulabad Jheel, 12 miles north-east of Peshawur, and on the 7th July he wrote to say that there was still at least one Swan left on this same jheel. The specimen sent by Major Waterfield proved to be a nearly mature C. olor, but Mr. Sinclair’s bird, unfortunately imperfectly preserved, decayed so rapidly in the hot weather that then prevailed, (the temperature was over 100° Far. in the shade at 10 a.m., in Peshawur at the time) that it shortly grew a mass “to make men tremble who never weep,” and though, from what was said, I believe it also to have been olor, I cannot be certain. What could keep a number of Swans down in the middle of June, in one of the hottest places in India, I cannot pretend to say. : is far as I can gather, the only Swans that we are likely to meet with in India are C. ferus, C. olor, and C. bewicki, and it may be as well to explain how those may be discriminated. In the first place, C. olor at all ages has the tail more or less wedge-shaped, pointed, and comparatively long, while the other two have the tail rounded and short, so that olor may be at once distinguished from the other two. In the adults, of course, olor is further distinguished by the large black fleshy tubercle springing from the forehead and descending on the basal portion FURTHER NOTES ON THE SWANS OF INDIA. 107 _of the culmen which is entirely wanting in the other two species, but this tubercle is equally entirely wanting in the young of olor, and as it is these for the most part that we meet with in India, this point need not be further insisted on here. The dimensions of this species, already given by Mr. Blan- ford and myself, will, I think, suffice for all practical purposes. To my description of the young, reproduced above from the Ibis, I have only to add that at a later stage those parts of the bill which I described as pale grey become dull yellow, and the feet black. In the perfect adult the plumage is very pure white, at times witha creamy or buffy tinge on head and back of upper neck, and the bill is as described by Mr. Blanford. C. ferus and bewicki both haye short rounded (not pointed or wedge-shaped) tails, and both have the bare space in front of the eyes yellow, and not black as in olor. They differ, inter se, amongst other things in the much superior size of ferus; in the color of the bills, and in ferus having the frontal feathers prolonged into an angle, while in bewicki they terminate in a semicircle. The following are dimensions recorded of an adult male and adult female of C. ferus :— Male.-—Length, 60; expanse, 95 ; wing, 25°75 ; tail, 7:5 ; bill along culmen, including bare space on forehead, 4°25 ; from tip to eye, 5°16; tarsus, 4°16. Female.—Length, 52; expanse, 85; wing, 23:5; tail, 7°5; bill as above, 4:5; to eye, 4°84; tarsus, 40. The bare space on the forehead and in front of the eyes and the basal portion of the bill is yellowish ; the nail and the tip of the bill is black, the black extending upwards as a pomt along the culmen to within perhaps 1°5 of the forehead, while the yellow extends forward along the sides of the upper mandible to within perhaps the same distance of the point, the two colors meeting in a slanting line on either side of the bill, Part of the base of the lower mandible and the space between the rami yel- low, the rest black ; the iris is brown; the feet and claws black. The following are dimensions, &c., of a male of C. bewicki :— Length, 45; expanse, 74; wing, 20:5; tarsus, 5°5 ; bill as above, 3°5 ; to eye, 4°41; tarsus, 3°75. The females are smaller, but some males are larger than the dimensions above given, and measure nearly, if not quite, 50 in length. _ Inthe adults in this species the greater part of the bill is black, but the bare space on the forehead and in front of the eyes is bright yellow, as is also the basal portion of the upper man- dible, the color extending forwards in a curve, but not reaching the nostrils ; the feet black. 108 FURTHER ADDITIONS TO THE SiNDH AVIFAUNA. In both these species the plumage of the adult is pure white, that of the head and neck being often tinged with reddish yellow. In both, the young birds have the plumage pale bluish grey ; the bill dusky at the tip, and livid fleshy or reddish towards the base, and on the partially bare skin in front of the eye; and the feet reddish grey. Much more might be said as to minor differences existing between these three species, but my object is merely to enable observers in India to discriminate them, and not to write a monographic notice of them. A. O. H. Further Additions to the Sindh Abitauna. By J. A. Murray. Havine made a collecting trip a little beyond Sehwan, I pro- pose to give a few particulars of the result, showing some additions to the Avirauna of Sindh as recorded in the Kditor’s lists, Vol. 1., p. 148, and Vol. V., p. 328, of Srray Featumrs. We were a party of three, and left Kurrachee by the evening train of the 15th November last, arriving at Jempeer, a station on the line, at about 2 a.m. on the following morning. Here we were delayed till 4 a.m., owing to our camels not being in readiness, which completely upset our plans for going some seventeen miles north of the station across a range of hills. This it was impossible to do owing to the late start, and as day broke we got to the first piece of ground covered with vege- tation other than the Luphordia, and this was chiefly composed of Grewia asiatica, Capparis aphylla and Leptadenia jacque- montiana, with here and there interspersed some tall Acacia trees on which were seated small companies of the large Tawny Vulture Gyps fulvescens, and the White-backed species G. dengalensis. Partridges and Quails were numerous and were heard for miles, and Hares in plenty were seen skedadling from bush to bush. Of the Lantide there were L. vittatus, erythronotus and lathora busily occupied making their morning repast, while the King Crows, (Guchanga atra,) were fitting from bush to bush makinga not unpleasant ery; this with the Larks, Galerida cristata and Callendrella brachydactyla, whose songs filled the morning air, were the first observed; Lanius arenurius and Malacocireus terricolor being later on observable as busy as the others, after a night’s fast. FURTHER ADDITIONS TO THE SINDH AVIFAUNA. 109 Getting across the bed of stream we came upon a Fox, (Vulpes leucopus,) which was soon brought to bag, and tied on at the back of the camel, but not without strong protest by the driver, who seemed to think it would defile his ship of the desert and himself. The sun having now risen pretty high, and finding we had not made much progress, a suggestion to give up our first pro- gramme for Houbara shooting was discussed, and carried by a majority, including Camel-driver and Shikaree, and so we made a detour for the most likely ground, reaching it a little too early, the sun not being sufficiently hot for the Bustards to take shelter under the bushes. A halt being called under a rather scantily-clothed Acacia, breakfast was spread and enjoyed after a morning ride. We re- mounted at exactly 10 o’clock, and skirting a small range of hills came upon a piece of ground profusely clothed with Grewia bushes, and here began real work. Separating ourselves, as was necessary, we entirely cut off any chance of escape if the birds were not anxious to get shot at; and as we narrowed the circle found ourselves in luck by the sight of five very good-sized birds. Four of these were bagged, among them two beautiful Cock birds. We hunted up the fifth, which escaped J. G.’s gun, but failed to get a sightof it, notwithstanding our climbing up and down several ragged hills. Houbara were not abundant this season, and, strange to say, the Grewia berries, which they chiefly live upon, were not even ripe on their first arrival. Florican (I mean the Bastard Florican, Sypheotides auritus) have not at all putin an appearance this year, owing, probably, to no rain having fallen. Natives assert that as sure as the Scarlet Mite (Trombidium tinctorium) makes its appearance after a fall of rainin November, the Bastard Florican is as certain to follow. Icannot vouch for the last, but the Scar- let Mite has always been seen after a shower in the winter months. Finding no more traces of Houbara, we made for a piece of water about two miles west. Here we found large shady trees with several nests of Gyps bengalensis, but no eggs in them. On the water we got some Teal and Podiceps minor, and by one o’clock a small collection of the smaller birds. They were all species already recorded as occurring in Sindh. Having skinned some of the more valuable examples we set off on our return jour- ney, arriving at the station at 9-30 p.m., the entire bag consist- ing of Gyps bengalensis, Falco juggur, Micronisus badius, Gyps ful- vescens, Buteo ferox, Yunex torquilla, Querquedula crecca, Pipastes arboreus, P. maculatus, an Adjutant, out of whose craw we got half a dozen examples of a Lizard, Uromastia hardwickii, 110 FURTHER ADDITIONS TO THE SINDH AVIFAUNA. Podiceps minor, Black and Grey Partridges and Hares and Vulpes leucopus. On the morning of the 17th we strolled a few miles towards a temple situate at the back of the station, and were very plea- santly surprised at the marked change of aspect to that of the day previous. Here were seen herds of goat and sheep browsing on good pasture by the sides of the marshes formed by a natural flow of water from the limestone rocks, the sources being small fissures at the head of the hill in about thirteen different places. Two of these are caught in a cistern built near a temple situ- ate on the hill for the use of devotees, whose only shelter is a well-shaded Banian, (Ficus religiosa). Strolling a mile or so in this piece of marsh, we got Anastomus oscitans and Tantalus leu- cocephalus, neither of which seem to have been as yet recorded from Sindh.* Other birds got on this morning were Pericrocotus peregrinus, Silvia jerdoni, Lobivanellus indicus, and Athene brama. We returned by 9, breakfasted, and left by train for Kotree, where, having arrived at 4 p.M., a box was packed with the collection made during the three days since our departure from Kurrachee, and left for despatch to the Museum. On the morning of the 19th we left Kotree for Sehwan by the Indus Valley Material train, making the journey in eleven hours. Any one who travels on the Sind Line of Railway cannot but be impressed with the monotonous aspect of the dry barren country through which it passes; one continuous line of desolate sterility, but the Indus Valley Line, running as it does along the river banks, would compensate the through traveller ; for, as he moves onwards, leaving Kotree behind, the eye is refreshed with the verdant clothing of the river banks on one side with the river now and again appearing in the dis~ tance. On the other side pools of water by the side of the line, over which the Snippets fly as the train passes, patches of sprouting crops at the base of low hills, and the call of the Partridges, Quail, and Grouse would tempt the traveller with his gun, so long as he would only allow the range of his vision within two miles. Far, far in the distance the huge gray masses which appear unclothed with vegetation of any kind would soon dispel the illusive dream of a fine day among the Grouse, as even in November the heat among these hills is very great. By far the grandest scenery, and the most strik- ing, is presented from the Buggatoria Hill, about seven miles from Sehwan, a huge limestone rock abutting on the Indus. As we approach it, a great barrier is presented, till the train, sweeping with a grand curve, brings to view a gorge cut in the TESTA ne A * Mr, §, Doighas reported both, the latter as breeding there, from the Hastern Narra, FURTHER ADDITIONS TO THE SINDH AVIFAUNA. 111 rock not completed, outside of which, in order to carry the materials of the line through, a diversion has been carried, show- ing below the Government road, a village, and in full view a most grand and beautiful landscape made up by a fine stretch of the river, in allits windings, studded with numerous islets all covered with the evergreen tamarisk, the more distant ones presenting quite a lawn-like appearance. This scene, with the sun nearly set, and lighting up the town of Sehwan in the distance, formed a very enjoyable prospect, and was the talk of more than one stranger who, like myself, travelled for the first time along this portion of the line. Sehwan was reached after sun down. We remained for the night at the station, dining, entirely upon preserved provisions, (thanks to the ingenuity of man) in less than an hour after a refreshing cold ablution. The cravings of the inner man satis- fied, we set about making ourselves comfortable for the night, and were soonin the arms of Morpheus dreaming of happy events for the following day. A tolerable night’s rest in a room inhabited by a large family of Arachnide and overrun with Formica, large black soldiers, with heads double the size of their bodies, left us recruited for a forward journey after “ Chota Hazree.” Riding across a sandy plain covered with Glinus lotoides, Capparis appylla, Hrua bovit, AE. lonata, and the ever recur- ring Salvadora, we came on to the banks of the Aral and encamped for a few hours under the shade of a grove of trees made up of Acacia sirissa, Ficus religiosa, and the Neem, till arrangements were made for a stay of a few days at Sehwan. This completed, chiefly by the good offices of the Mookhtyar- kar* of the station, we strolled during the afternoon along a well-kept shady road leading to the Sehwan garden, enlisting on the way the services of two beaters. We succeeded in bag- ging a few Black Partridges, two good specimens of Brachyp- ternus dilutus, and a novelty to the Ornis of Sindh in the shape of Malacocercus malcolini. On the following morning, 2]st, we took a circuitous ramble outside of Sehwan, and in the course of a few hours made a very varied collection of birds—among them Oriolus kundoo and Picus mahrattensis. We did Sehwan in four days, adding to our collection 80 skins in all, comprising Aquila fulvescens, Falco babylonicus, Athene brama, B. dilu- tus, Picus scindianus et mahrattensis, Chatarrhea caudata, M. maleolmi, Pycnonotus pusillus, Emberiza striolata, huttoni, * The native local Revenue officer, equivalent to Tehsildar in Upper India, Mamlutdar in Bombay, &c.—A, O. H. 112 FURTHER ADDITIONS TO THE SINDH AVIFAUNA. and stewarti, Saxicola picata, monacha, deserti, Budytes flava, Pyrrhulauda grisea, Bucanetes githagineus, and a number of Waders, which are all recorded from Sindh, and which would occupy too much space to name. On the evening of the 26th we started by boat for the Man- char, getting poled along through the shallow canal which feeds the lake. As nothing except a few Waders were observed, we settled down quietly, comfortably taking to our beds at 9 P.M. and waking up at 5 a.m. atthe head of the lake to see some scores of Cormorants, quite happy in their native element, and as might be expected the Brahminy Kite, (Haliastur indus,) stoop- ing on fish, and in its wake Milvus govinda making vain efforts to secure a like prey. Going through the lake up to Trainhee, we bagged a number of Water Hens and Coots, and a magnificent specimen of Phenicopterus roseus. We did not come upon any Ducks, owing, as the boatman said, to the track we were in be- ing much frequented by fishermen and others at all times, but as we neared Trainhee they were innumerable, and we bagged seve- ral. The whole lake literally swarms with Water Fowl of all descriptions. We reached Trainhee at about 9 a.M., after four hours poling from the head of thelake. Stooping over the boat we collected a quantity of fresh water Cerites, and on the mud some odd valves of Unio margaritifera, getting perfect ones the following day, when we obtained a large variety of Ducks and Geese, but nothing new. Our next hunt was among the hills, where we got Péerocles arenarius, exustus, also a novelty in the shape of Melophus melanicterus. Pyrrhulauda melanauchen and grisea were extremely common ; also the Red Wax Bill, Munia malabarica, and Pastor roseus, from a flock of which I got Teme- nuchus pagodarum. The Crimson-Breasted Barbet, (X. hemacepha- la) wealso got here. Returning, we made sad havoc among the smaller birds which wedid not care to collect at Sehwan, namely Saxicola albonigra, Caprimulgus asiaticus, Pratincola indica, and caprata, Thamnobia cambaiensis, the Blue-throat Cyanecula suecica, Adon familiaris, Saxicola isabellina, and Saxicola kin- gi, and a great number of Waders. We only remained five days on the Manchar, and our collection was greatly increased, so much so that we could find no box room for the preserved skins. On our return trip to Sehwan we got a number of Jacanas, a Pelican, H. albicilla and eggs, Circus aruginosus, Buteo ferox, Alcedo ispida, Halcyon smyrnensis and Agrodroma campestris—altogether the collection numbering in preserved skins, from 15th November to 13th December, 270 skins. We began our return journey from Sehwan by camel to as far as Lakki, after giving instructions in skinning and plenty of preservative to a native, the results of which will be noted FUKTHER ADDITIONS TO THE SINDH AVIFAUNA. 113 hereafter. At Lakki we were very successful among the hills, and in the small. gardens close by the station we got a single specimen of Tehitrea paradisi, also Hirundo erythropygia and Pericrocotus brevirostris. At Buggatoria, Graucalus macet. We returned to Kurrachee on 18th December 1877, and the novelties or additions to the said list ineluding those procured in September and October, and the collections made by native collectors at Sehwan and Dowlutpoor are as follows :— 12,—Faleo babylonicus,* Gurney. November, Sehwan. 74.—Ephialtes pennatus, Hodgs. Kurrachee. 85.—Hirundo erythropygia, Sykes. F. Pultem. November. 121.—Merops apiaster, Zin, Jeempeer. September and October. 199.—Cuculus canorus, Lin. Kurrachee. August.and November. 261.—Lanius cristatus,* Linx. Jeempeer and Kotree. September and October. 259bis.—Lanius auriculatus, P. LZ. S. Mill. Dowlutpoor. November. 270.—Graucalus macei, Less. Buggatoria. December. 273.—Pericrocotus brevirostris, Vig. Lakki. December. 288.—Muscipeta paradisi, Lin. Lakki. December. 436.—Malacocereus malcolmi, Sykes. Sehwan. November. 470.—Oriolus kundoo, Sykes. Seawan. November. 490ter.—Saxicola leucomela, Pallas. Dowlutpur. November. 495.—Ruticilla mesoleuca, Hhr. Schwan. November. 5536is.—Hypolais caligata, Licht. Jeempeer. November. 589.—Motacilla maderaspatensis, Gm. Sehwan. November. 660b7s.—Corvus umbrinus, Hedenb. Sund. Jacobabad. February. 687.—Temenuchus pagodarum, Gm. Trainhee. December. 720quat.—Emberiza miliaria, Linn. Dowlutpoor. December. 724.—Melophus melanicterus, Gm. Trainhee. December. 751ter.—Linaria cannabina, Lin. Dowlutpoor. November. 772.—Crocopus chlorigaster, Bly. Jacobabad. February. 938.—Tantalus leucocephalus, Gm. Jeempeer. September. 940.—Anastomus oscitans, Bodd. Jeempeer. September. Amongst these are several European birds which have never before been known to occur in India, and I should like to have an opinion as to the cause of their migration so far as Sindh. Ave they found in Beloochistan or Persia? If so, it is not so strange that they should occur here too. The winter last season was very severe, and perhaps like Cygnus olor, obtained by Mr. Watson a few weeks after my leaving the Manchar; these strangers too were driven by stress of weather within the limits of the province, _ ™* Already sent by Captain Butler, who has shot three or four, but not yet pub- ished,—Ep. 15 114 FURTHER ADDITIONS TO THE SINDH AVIFAUNA. It may be well to explain distinctly that all the novelties above mentioned, except. Crocopus chlorigaster (which was ob- tained near Jacobabad by my native collector when out with the General on tour to Mitra), and those from Dowlutpoor (sent me with about 80 other skins by a native to whom I gave lessons before leaving Sehwan), were procured by myself ; and although these exceptions include the five most important of the novelties (ZL. auriculatus, S. leucomela, L. cannibina, E. miliaria, R. mesoleuca), and were not collected by myself, I have every reason to be satisfied that they were really procured at Dowlutpoor, whence I received them. I take this opportunity of noting in regard to Captain Butler’s and the Editor’s remarks (V., 327, 330) that I asserted that Trena puella was procured near Sukkur, for the simple reason that a skin of it was sent down to me along with other skins from that place. Whether it was an escaped caged bird or not, I cannot of course pretend to say. I had nothing to do with collecting the specimen. I only told the tale as it was told to me. Note sy tHe Eprror. Av Mr. Murray’s request I have corrected the nomencla- ture throughout, and identified the species referred to in the preceding very important paper. Not only does this paper add the very large number of twenty-four species to the Sindh list, but it adds six species to the Avifauna of India, and extends toa very considerable degree the previously known area of distribution of these. None of these six species are included by Jerdon, and none of them have been as yet described in this periodical. These SIX are :— 497ier.—Ruticilla mesoleuca, Lhrend. This species, originally discovered near Jeddah, has subse- quently been observed in Greece and Turkey, and appears to have its head-quarters in the western portions of Asia Minor. A straggler has also been obtained at Heligoland ! This species also occurs at Bushire. Major St. John obtain- ed it there. Not knowing the species he took it for R. hodgsona, which it closely resembles, and told Mr. Blanford that he had obtained this latter species there. Mr. Blanford not unreason- ably pooh-poohed this surmise, and refused to record it in the account prepared by him, with Major St. John’s assistance, of FURTHER ADDITIONS TO THE SINDH AVIFAUNA. 115 the birds of Persia. Directly I showed St. John this specimen, without mentioning name or anything about it, he at once said, “This is the bird I got at Bushire that Blanford would not believe about.” The occurrence of this species at Dowlutpore near Sehwan 17° further east than Bushire, along with four other species, Lanius auriculatus, Saxicola leucomela, Emberiza miliaria, and. Linavia cannabina, none of which have hitherto been observed anything nearly so far east, must naturally awaken suspicions that some mistake has occurred. 1 have examined the specimen of mesoleuca carefully, and it is certainly not one prepared in Europe, and the same may be said of all the other specimens from Dowlutpore. They are obviously prepared by a comparatively untrained native skinner, and it would seem impossible that Mr. Murray’s man, out in the jungles at Dowlutpore, could have got the specimens in any possible way, except by himself shooting and skinning them ; and as he has not the slightest knowledge of ornithology, and barely knows a Crow from a Pigeon, there would seem no valid reason for doubting the occurrence of this and the other species, startling and unexpected as this is. But is it quite certain that these specimens were amongst the Dowlutpore birds? Mr. Murray thinks so, and he may be right; but not one of these birds had a ticket, and I have ascertained that about the time he got the birds from Dowlutpore, he also had to examine a collection of birds from Bushire. And all these five birds occur at Bushire; so that it appears to me that with a lot of birds lying about without tickets, it is not impossible that these five being Bushire ones got mixed with the Dowlutpore ones, and therefore, while admitting these species provisionally to places in our list, £ must warn my readers that I think their occurrence within our limits requires further confirmation. Mr. Murray sent me this bird as R. phenicura, from which it differs most conspicuously by its huge white wing spot; but Captain Butler, who is far better up in birds, pronounced it, like Major St. John, to be apparently R. hodgsoni, which indeed it much resembles. As regards its differences from R. phenicura, Mr. Dresser remarks :— “The Adult Male differs from the male of R. phanicura in having the upper parts, more especially the head, much darker ; the white on the forehead more extended ; the black on the throat more intense; and the entire under parts below the throat are rich orange-red—the centre of the abdomen alone being marked with white; the wings are darker and greyer, 116 FURTHER ADDITIONS TO THE SINDH AVIFAUNA. while the secondaries have almost the whole of the outer web, from the base nearly to the tip, pure white, forming a very conspicuous white alar patch ; bill and legs, black ; ims, brown. Total length, about 6 inches; culmen, 0° ; wing, 3°1 ; tail, 2-45 ; tarsus, 0°82. : “The Adult Female differs from the female of Ruticilla phenicura in having the upper parts greyer; the fore- head and sides of the head dirty greyish white, the latter tinged with brownish ash ; underparts much greyer and more sooty than in R. phenicura ; the breast only tinged with dull greyish orange. : “¢ Obs.—There is, comparatively speaking, but little variation in the specimens I have examined, but the amount of white on the wing in the male varies somewhat, and in some specimens the back is very dark, and marked with black.” To hodgsoni it bears a much closer resemblence. It differs in having a broader and purer white frontal band than hodgsoni, in having rather more of the rump orange ferruginous, in having more white on the wing, the white in fodgsom being confined to the tertiaries and hinder secondaries, while in mesoleuca it extends on to several of the primaries. The black of the throat descends much further on to the breast in hodgsoni, and the middle of the abdomen in mesoleuca is mottled with pure white. So much for the male. I have no female mesoleuca, but to judge from the plate of this, the female of hodgsoni is a darker brown above, has no pale frontal band, and is less albescent on the abdomen. The female Ruticilla hodgsoni has no albescent margins to the primaries as the female of mesoleuca appears to have. The following are the dimensions and description of Mr. Murray’s specimen, a male :— Length, 6°3; wing, 3°3; tail, 2°38; tarsus, 0°78; biil from forehead, 0°6. A narrow frontal band, the lores, chin, throat, cheeks, front, and frontal half of sides of neck, black; breast, abdomen, lower tail-coverts, axillaries and greater part of wing-lming, orange ferruginous ; the middle of the abdomen mottled with pure white and lower tail-coverts, paler ; lower surface of the quills, delicate satin grey ; a very broad white frontal band, extending back- wards to the eye above the narrow black frontal band; crown, occiput, nape and entire mantle, slaty grey ; rump, upper tail- coverts and tail, except two central feathers, which are more or less brown, orange ferruginous ; wings, brown ; tertiaries and secondaries, broadly, and more or less of the hinder primaries, narrowly, margined on their outer webs, in the case of the two former for nearly their entire length, with pure white. FURTHER ADDITIONS TO THE SINDH AVIFAUNA. 117 259bis..—Lanius auriculatus, P. L. &., Mill. This species, well figured by Buffon, P. E., pl. TX., fig. 2, and the male, at any rate, correctly described by Brisson, Orn. IL., 147, as Lanius rufus, (a name unfortunately not allowed to stand by the British Asseciation Rules), was confounded by Linnzeus in his 12th edition with Zanius collurio, so that the first name available for this comparatively common European Shrike is that given by Miiller in his Supplement to the Syst. Nat. Later Gmelin recognized to a certain extent the dis- tinctness of this species, but still only admitted it as a variety. When Messrs. Sharpe and Dresser published their article on this species in March 1871, its range was only known to them as extending to the Black Sea, but De Filippi found it in Northern Persia, and Major St. John and Mr. Blanford obtained it in hilly country at elevations of from 4,750 to 7,000 feet from June to August, at and a little to the east of Shiraz. Its present occurrence in Western Sindh is the more re- markable, that [have not yet received it from anywhere in Beloochistan, not even from the Highlands between Khelat and Quetta, where it would have primdé facie have appeared more likely to occur than in the comparatively low parts of Western Sindh, whence it has now been sent. The following are the dimensions taken from Mr, Murray’s specimen, a male :— Length, 7°75 inches ; wing, 4:0; tail, 3:6 ; tarsus, 0°93; bill from frontal bone straight to tip, 0°78. . The chin, throat, breast, and entire lower parts, a patch over the nostrils, and in front of the eye on either side, a spot above and behind each eye, the scapulars, the lower rump and upper tail-coverts, a broad band at the base of the primaries, and a narrow tipping to the tertiaries and later secondaries, the outer webs of the external tail feathers, and the bases and tips of all the tail feathers, white ; the white tipping of the central feathers almost obsolete, and traces of white tippings to the greater wing-coverts; the middle of the back ashy grey ; a broad band on the forehead, extending on either side across the eyes and ear-coverts, and down the sides of the neck to the interscapulary region, this latter and the whole of the wings and tail, where these are not white, black ; crown, occiput and nape rich chestnut ; the lower parts, that is to say breast and abdomen, have a very slight fulvous tinge ; the axillaries are mingled grey and white, and the wing-lining (except the tips of the greater primary lower coverts which are dusky) and the basal portions of the primaries, are white. T have compared this specimen with one from Europe ; they are identical. I have no female by me, but Macgilliyray thus describes her :— 118 FURTHER ADDITIONS TO THE SINDH AVIFAUNA. “ Female.—The female has the upper part of the head and the hind neck dull brownish red; the black of the back tinged with brown; the rump brownish grey, transversely barred with brown; the wings and tail brownish black, with the white markings less extended and tinged with brown ; the band on the side of the head is brown; and the lower parts are greyish white ; the sides tinged with brown ; the fore-neck and breast marked with faint semi-circular brown lines, of which there are two on each feather.”’ Messrs. Sharpe and Dresser say :-— “ Female.—Similar to the male, but has all the colours less bright, and the forehead, and the parts generally of the body which in the male are black, dull blackish brown with an admixture of rufous. Young.—Brown above, inclining to rufous on the head and back, transversely barred with ochre and black vermicula- tions ; scapularies and rump paler and more fulvous ; the bars broader ; wing-coverts black, broadly edged with rufous and washed, especially on the least coverts, with ochre ; tail brown- ish black ; the middle feathers tipped with rufous, the others with fulvous white, especially on the outermost, which has a little black only on the inner web ; underneath fulvous, thickly barred over the whole body with narrow brown vermicula- tions ; chin and under wing-coverts white ; under tail-coverts rather deep fulvous.” 490 ter.—Saxicola leucomela, Pall. It will be remembered that in their monograph of the genus Saxicola, P. Z. 8., 1874, 225, Messrs. Blanford and Dresser somewhat doubtfully identified Sazxicola capistrata, Gould, B of A., Pt. XVII., pl. 9, with deucomela of Pallas. The objec- tions to this seemed to be that this species (/eucomela) was not known to occur in India, whereas the bird identified by them as S. morio was common in the upper parts of the Punjab and Afghanistan, and that on the whole, though the color of the under tail-coverts, as represented by Mr. Gould, was rather more yellow than is ever seen in morio, the plate suits this latter species better than lewcomela, especi- ally in absolutely wanting the narrow white tips to the secon- daries which are always present in deucomela. Referring back to Mr. Gould’s remarks, I gather that he must have figured specimens from Sindh. He says :— “ Among the MS. notes on Indian birds by the late Captain Boys, I find the following in reference to the present species.” Now, if Mr. Gould had not had Captain Boys’ specimens be- fore him, he could not have known to what species Boys was FURTHER ADDITIONS TO THE SINDH AVIFAUNA. 119 really referring, as he was not much of an ornithologist. Captain Boys’ remarks were as follows :— “Shot several specimens on the road to Sukkur, at a place called Mhuta-jeedo, and met with others at nearly every stage lower down towards Sukkur.” It is, therefore, nearly certain that Mr. Gould figured some of these Sukkur specimens, and the occurrence now of leucomela in Sindh, not so very far from Sukkur, and the color of the under tail-coverts, as shown in the plate, renders it extremely probable that these specimens were really leuwcomela also, or if not leucomela, at any rate a very nearly-allied species, and not mgrio. I say very nearly allied because I notice that Mr. Gould says that his bird has a broader band of black on the tips of the lateral tail feathers than true leucomela, and com- paring now the Sindh bird, and one from Shiraz with another from Egypt, I notice that, as a matter of fact, both the former have very much broader black tips to the feathers mentioned than the Egyptian specimen. I also notice, as insisted on by Mr. Gould, that they are larger birds, both having the wings 3'8 against barely 3°5 in the Egyptian bird. The very few specimens available to me prevent my offering any opinion as to whether these, and some other slight differ- ences which I observe, are constant and worthy of specific recognition ; I merely note the point for future investigation. This species had been found by De Filippi in the neighbour- hood of ‘'eheran, and was obtained by St. John at Shiraz ; but the most easterly point at which it had hitherto been observed was by Mr. Blanford at Rayin, 8.S.E. of Kerman, at an elevation of about 9,000 feet in May, in about 58° E. Long. Its occurrence now in nearly 68° E. Long., and if I am correct about Captain Boys’ specimens in fully 69° E. Long. greatly extends the South-Eastern range of this species. IT have already, 8. F., I., 185, pointed out some of the differ- ences between this species, and what Messrs. Blanford and Dresser identify as morto (olim S. capistrata, Gould apud nos.) ; but in the comparison I then made I referred to Egyptian speci- mens of the species. Comparing Sindh and Persian specimens I find that the size is as nearly as possible the same, but that the bills in /eucomela are a trifle slenderer. The main points of distinction are, that the under tail-coverts in leucomela are (in the Sindh and Persian specimens they are much paler in the Egyptian bird) a distinct though pale russet, while in morto they are never more than pale fulvous. The secondaries in lewcomela are narrowly tipped with pure white—which is not the case in morio. A considerable portion of the inner webs of all the quills on their lower surface 120 FURTHER ADDITIONS TO THE SINDH AVIFAUNA. is pure white in leucomela, whereas in morio the lower sur- face of all the quills is of one uniform color, varying from a a grey brown to a greyish dusky. Apparently in summer the crown, occiput, and nape are nearly pure white, whereas in winter they are almost entirely overlaid with fawny brown. It may be useful to quote for future reference Messrs. Dresser and Blanford’s full description of this species. “ Adult male.—Crown and nape white, the former strongly tinged with brownish grey ; back, scapulars, throat to the upper part of the breast, sides of the head and neck, including a narrow line above the eye, upper parts of the flanks, under wing-coverts, and axillaries glossy jet-black ; wings duller black than the back ; secondaries narrowly tipped with whitish ; rump and upper tail-coverts pure white ; tail as in S. morio, but narrowly tipped with white; breast and abdomen pure white ; crissum and under tail-coverts pale rufous; bill and legs black ; iris dark brown. Culmen, 0°7 : wing, 3°8; tail, 2°75 ; tarsus, 1°05. Female.—Similar to the male.” 660 dis.—Corvus umbrinus, Hedenb. Sund. The occurrence of this species in Sindh, of which I previously had no specimen to compare, enables me to confirm the statement made in a former article (supra p. 64) that my Corvus law- rencit is not in the least like umbrinus. C. wmbrinus is a smaller bird, with much smaller bill, feet, and legs, and it has the whole of the head and neck all round, and upper breast overlaid with a strong bronzy-brown tint, which renders it impossible to mistake it or confound it with any of the Black Crows of this part of the world. The following are the dimensions of the bird from Jacobabad, which is a very fine specimen, and obviously an old adult :— Length, 21°5 (against 23 to 24°75 in lawrencii); wing, 15°75 (against 16°3 to 17°4in lawrencii) ; bill at front from junction of frontal feathers and bristles, 2°25 (against 2°55 to 2°75 in lawrencit) ; tail, 9:0, (against 10 to 10°5 in lawrenciz) ; tarsus, 2°6 (against 2°8 in Jawrencit, the tarsi being very nearly double as massive in the latter) ; hind toe and claw, 1:65 (against 1°8 in dawrencit). This species has hitherto been known form North-Hast Africa, Palestine, and Beloochistan, about as far east as the 62° Hast Long. I observed it nowhere between Kurrachee and Gwader, and specimens sent me thence have been lawrencii. Its present discovery at Jacobabad, and about this species there is no doubt, extends its range to nearly the 69° Hast Long. FURTHER ADDITIONS TO THE SINDH AVIFAUNA. 121 - The following is Dresser’s detailed description of the species :— * Adult male-—Head and neck glossy dark umber-brown ; feathers on the neck white at the base; upper and under parts generally jet black with a steely violet gloss; the under parts intermixed here and there with a few dark umber-brown feathers ; wings and tail glossy black, with a violet-blue gloss ; bill black; legs black, with a brownish tinge; iris dark brown. Total length about 23 inches; culmen, 2:9; wing, 15°5; tail, 8°6; tarsus, 2°9; middle toe, 2:2. Female.—Similar to the male.” 720 qguat.—Emberiza miliaria, Zin. This is another species which I have not yet received from Beloochistan. It occurs all over Europe, North-Eastern Africa, Palestine, Turkestan, and De Filippi recorded it as common in the north-west of Persia, but it has not hitherto been pro- cured further east than at Shiraz and Abadeb, both in about 53° Kast Long. Its present capture at Dowlutpore, if authen- tic, extends its range nearly 15° to the east. I have compared the Sindh specimen with European ones ; it is quite as dark as most of the English birds; it only differs in appearing to have the dark spots of the sides and base of the throat darker and more confluent than any of the European specimens. It measures :— Length, 7°5 inches; tail, 3°3; wing, 3:9; tarsus, 1:0; bill from gape, 0°6. The bird is such a well known European one, that it is un- necessary to do more here than reproduce Mr. Dresser’s descrip- tion of the species :— . “ Male in spring plumage.—Above greyish brown, the feathers blackish down the centre as in a Lark, those on the crown more narrowly centred; the rump almost entirely greyish brown, with very faint. indications of central black markings ; scapulars and wing-coverts like the back ; the median coverts tipped with white, and also slightly tinged with rufous ; the greater coverts externally edged with fulvous; quills blackish brown, externally margined with buffy white ; the secondaries far more broadly, these latter being also slightly tinged with rufous; tail rather paler brown, with edgesand tips of buffy white; feathers in front of the eye, and an indistinct eyebrow buffy white, with very tiny longitudinal markings of dark brown; ear-coverts dark brown, with narrow streaks of black; under surface of the body creamy white; the throat and fore part of the chest streaked with small spots of blackish brown these spots being very tiny on the throat, where they collect thickly together on the malar line, forming a kind of 16 122 FURTHER ADDITIONS TO THE SINDH AVIFAUNA. moustachial streak; on the chest the spots are slightly more triangular, but on the lower part of the breast they take the form of narrow lines; flanks slightly rufescent, and strongly washed with brown, being at the same time distinctly striped with dark brown; under tail-coverts buffy white, with slight central streaks of brown; under wing-coverts of the same colour, varied down the centre of each feather with greyish ; bill horn colour, with a slight dash of red; the edge of the upper mandible and the whole of the lower one yellow; feet pale fleshy brown; iris dark brown. Total length, 7 inches; culmen, 0°52 ; tail, 3:1 ; tarsus, 1:0. “ Obs.—A great deal of difference is observable in Buntings killed in the spring and summer, some being almost pure white underneath, with very few and indistinct stripes on the breast, the general shade of the plumage being a pale greyish brown; others, on the other hand, are very thickly spotted on the under surface of the body. English examples are slightly darker than the Continental birds, the pale-coloured ones im our collec- tion being from Smyrna aud Turkestan, so that, perhaps, this peculiar variation is confined to the eastern specimens. “ Young.—Much darker than the adult, and more ochreous- brown, with a very strong tinge of ochre on the breast; the markings on the latter more confused, and not nearly so distinct as in the adult.” 751 fer.—Linaria cannabina, Lin. The Linnet, if Mr. Murray’s discovery is to be relied on, - receives an equal extension of its area of distribution to the Common Bunting. Hitherto known as generally distributed throughout Europe and in winter in Northern Africa, extending westwards to the Canaries, and Madeira, and eastwards as far as Turkestan, it had not been previously observed any where south of the Caspian, further east than Shiraz. The specimen obtained is an adult male, but there is very little red on the head, and that on the breast is considerably duller than in the summer plumage. It is absolutely identical, so far as plumage is concerned, with European specimens with which I have compared it. It measures :-— Length, 5°8; wing, 3°1; tail, 2°3; tarsus, 0°62; bill from forehead, 0°5. This is rather longer than European specimens, and Blanford has already remarked that some Persian specimens have a rather long bill. I reproduce for reference Dresser’s full description :-— | “ Adult male in summer.—Forehead blood red; crown, hind neck, and sides of the neck otherwise brownish grey; the hind FURTHER ADDITIONS TO THE SINDH AVIFAUNA. 123 erown with darker striations, and the region immediately round the eye brownish white; back, rump, scapulars, and wing-coverts warm chestnut-brown; the feathers with slightly darker centres; rump lighter and slightly varied with white ; upper tail-coverts blackish brown, with broad whitish margins ; quills blackish ; the primaries margined on the outer web from the base to nearly the tip with white, these margins being very narrow on the outer quills, and much broader on the inner ones; secondaries slightly tipped with white; the inner secondaries like the back, but darker and browner; chin and throat dull white, striped with greyish brown; breast rich carmine red ; rest of the under parts white; the flanks washed with brown; beak horn, the under mandible at the base brown; legs pale reddish brown; iris brown. Total length about 54-6 inches; culmen, 0-45; wing, 3°15; tail, 2:0; tarsus, 0°7. “ Adult female—Resembles the maie, but lacks the red on the forehead and on the breast ; the upper parts are browner and more striped ; the breast and flanks are striped with dark brown, and the white edgings to the primaries are less deve- loped. “ Adult male in winter.—The plumage is a trifle duller than in the summer, and the red on the crown and breast is much paler and obscured by light edgings to the feathers, which, however, wear off in the spring, and permit the full richness of the red to be exhibited. It is not always that the male loses his rich red breast and head in the winter, and I should think that it is retained by the very old males. We frequently see here in England males in the late autumn with the red richly developed; and Mr. Godman remarks that in the Canaries and at Madeira, the Linnets retain the red in the plumage all the year round. “ Young of the year.—Resembles the female, but has both the upper and under parts much more distinctly striped with dark brown. “Obs.—So far as I can ascertain, it is long before the male attains the full beauty of its plumage. After the first moult the young male has the breast red, though not to any great extent; but it takes much longer before it assumes the red on ‘the forehead, and before the red on the breast attains its full brilliancy ; and instances are cited by several authors of the male breeding before it has attained its full dress. When in confinement, so soon as it moults, it loses the red, which is then replaced by yellow; and sometimes wild birds are obtained which have the breast and forehead orange yellow, . instead of red, probably owing to some want of vigour.” AL Ori. ~ 124 Hotes on Atomenclature, LIT.* At page 138 of Vol. V., I expressed an opinion that Mr. Elliot was in error in uniting Pucrasia castanea, Gould, with P. duvauceli, Tem., and I showed, as I submit conclusively, that Temminck’s description could not apply to castanea, but must apply to macrolopha. In reply Mr. Elliot says, /bis, 1878, p. 125: “The third and last criticism of Mr. Hume is on the error I committed (in his opinion) in uniting the Pucrasia castanea, Gould, with P. duvauceli, Tem. Now, before replying to this, it will first be necessary for me to say a few words about the Jast-named species, which, from his remarks, I should judge to be entirely unknown to Mr. Hume. He says Prétre’s drawing in the ‘ Planches Coloriées’ isa ‘vile thing, a wretched pic- ture,’ and that, ‘barring the tail, it is equally unlike every species of the genus’ (quite true), and condemns it 7m toto, so far as I can see, because it does not resemble P. macrolopha. Now I would state, in justice to Prétre, that, although his drawing does not equal one of Mr. Wolf’s, yet it is a very faith- ful representation of P. duvauceli, Tem. I have no hesita- tion in saying this; for I am perfectly conversant with his type (the original of the plate in the ‘ Planches Colorides’}, as the specimen is still, and always has been I believe, here in the Paris Museum; and it was by means of this example and ~ the type of P. castanea (which I purchased from Mr. Gould, and which is now in the Zoological Museum at Stuttgart) that I became aware that the two were the same species, and conse- quently placed Mr. Gould’s bird among the synonyms of P. duvauceli. From their appearance and general mode of coloration, we are fairly entitled to believe that P. duvaucel and P. macrolopha are as thoroughly distinct species as any that are to be found in the Phasianide. Besides the chestnut on the back and sides of the neck, the flank feathers, perfectly exhibited in the plate in my work, differ entirely from any T have ever seen in any specimen of P. macrolopha; and I have examined a great many. Mr. Gould’s plate does not show these. correctly ; the chestnut colouring is exaggerated in its extent, and the black feathers, with their light edges, are almost entirely suppressed, a few only showing just above the leg. Temminck’s text, itis true, does not describe his plate accurately, but leans more to P. macrolopha, but as he says ‘La gravure ayant été * Vide Vol. V., pp. 287, 275. NOTES ON NOMENCLATURE, III. 125 faite depuis longtemps, méme avant la publication des deux ouv- vages anglais ou se trouvent de tres-bonnés figures de notre oiseau.’ It is most probable that when he wrote his description he took it from an example of P. macrolopha, instead of from the specimen figured which was in the Paris Museum, and which he may not have seen for a long time, and was confound- ed in his mind with the newly-figured P. macrolopha.” Virtually therefore it comes to this: Temminck figured cas- tanea, (that the type proves), but he described macrolopha. Now this opens up a wide question. First.—In fixing a name, are we to abide by an author’s des- cription or figure, when these refer to distinct species ? I say (where the figure is by an artist, and not by the author of the name) most certainly by the description, which is the name-giver’s own work, while the figure is the work of another person. Second.— Where a description is such that it does not agree with the species, to which the name it defines is applied or pro- posed to be applied, can the name be saved by referring to the type and showing that, though the description was erroneous, yet the name was really applied to the given species ? I say no, except under two special conditions :-— 1s¢é.—That the name that would otherwise have been rejected, has by long use acquired a scientific fixity : 2nd.—That the name that would otherwise supersede it shall have been assigned by the same authority who bestowed the incorrectly-defined name. Unless both these conditions exist, no reference to a type should be allowed to save a name founded on a description which is distinctly at variance with the species to which the name was (or is supposed to have been) intended to apply. Even for saving the name under these peculiar and neces- sarily rare conditions, I have no warrant, and I would not for a moment insist on them. I merely suggest them to brother orni- thologists as a possible and not unreasonable or illogical re- laxation of the general rule, which is, broadly, that names not properly defined or indicated must be rejected. But though this is the Code rule, as a matter of fact even English ornithologists seem now too generally to hold that no matter, how erroneous a description is, you have only to hunt out the type to establish the name. : To my mind this is illogical. A and B both give names to given species, and describe these, not only imperfectly, that is nothing, but distinctly wrongly on a material point; why should A’s name be discarded and B’s retained, simply because while A’s type has perished B’s is still preserved ? 126 NOTES ON NOMENCLATURE, III. I do not see it; but still if ornithologists or naturalists oene- rally approve this, let it be so. Only let us have a definite rule to that effect, and do not let us profess to go by the Code, when we do nothing of the kind. It seems to me that in the matter of our nomenclature we are getting into much the same fix at which we have arrived in regard to our religion. The Scripture, read to us weekly in church as our guide in life, tells us to sell all we have and give to the poor. ‘The ex- perience of life teaches us that to do this would in ten gene- rations reduce us to the level of savages, that the accumulation of capital is essential to all physical and scientifie progress, &e., &c., and in practice we don’t sell all we possess, (if we can help it) even to give to the poor. If we impartially survey the existing aspect of religious feeling, we shall find that no one thing has operated more powerfully to confuse the minds of the majority and shake their hold upon the vital truths that (though in widely different degrees of development) underlie all forms of belief amongst civilized men, than the startling divergencies that exist between religious precept and religious practice as awned at and approved by the best and wisest. It is the old story—better no law, than laws that have be- come dead letters. Now “non aliter, st parva licet componere magnis,” do matters stand with our ornithological nomenclature. We have a Code clear and distinct enough on most points, and the priests of our sanctuary are never slothful in preaching it to us, while at the same time their practice is moulded on widely different rules,, and it is this divergence more than anything else that has plunged the ornithological nomenclature of even British ornithologists into its existing state of confusion. Weall profess to abide by the Code, but each makes his own gloss on the rules, and amplifies or modifies as seems best to him —reproves his neighbours for a disregard of Code rules, when that disregard eventuates in a nomenclature different from his own, but at the same time boldly transgresses the rules, whenever such transgression chimes in with his own predilections. With their traditions our ornithologists make the Code of no avail, and on no point is this more conspicuous than in the gene- rally-received practice of going back to types, to prove that incorrect descriptions that ought to be under the Code, rejected and set aside for good and all, really referred to a given species. There is nothing in the Code about this, and either the prac- tice should be disallowed or the Code altered by a congress of NOTES ON NOMENCLATURE, III. 127 distinguished naturalists, such as orginally compiled, and again, later, revised the Code. The Code, admirable as a first evolution of system out of chaos, has naturally in practice proved insufficient for all the varied and complicated combinations of conditions that arise, and is moreover in the opinion of many great Con- tinental and American naturalists, distinctly in error in some points, ¢.g., in the rejection of not a little truly bimomial nomen- clature such as Briinnich’s, and much of Brisson’s. Surely the time has come for the revision of the Code, in the light of the further experience of the past thirty years, and its re-enactment on a broader basis. From private correspondence I am led to believe that many eminent Continental and American ornithologists would willingly waive points that they now insist on if we would meet them half way, for the sake of securing a generally-received Code, which would ensure uniformity of specific nomenclature in the great mass at any rate of new standard ornithological works and periodicals. I am informed by a gentleman, thoroughly competent to offer such an opinion (which I myself am in no position to verify) that there are fully 8,000 species of birds, of which the proper specific names, according to any system that might be definitely decided on, could be settled once and for all without difficulty. Of course, with such a list once published with the requisite (it need not be exhaustive) synomyms, and accepted by the ornithological leaders, not of Great Britain only but of Europe and America, all the time, and printing now wasted over the synonyms of these 8,000 species might be saved for real ornithological work. How great and terrible that waste is, every one who has even dabbled in this finiken, frivolous, but alas as matters now stand, almost inevitable branch of our work will freely admit, but the great tendency that this has to absorb the attention, and divert to mere words the energies and talents that should be devoted to facts is even more lamentable, though much less generally acknowledged and realized. Surely the time has come for a strenuous and combined effort on the part of all who love science unselfishly, and for her own sake to confine this great and growing evil within the narrow- est possible limits. Surely the time has come, not merely for a revised British Code, but for a new Code, universal as are the aims and blessings of science herself. Science will have to leaven the whole mass of mankind ere these, now wholly absorbed in the ephemeral pursuits of the day, selfish money grubbing or position grasping, (thinly 128 ON AN OVERLOOKED SPECIES OF REGULOIDES. veiled under the euphueisms, business or politics) will cease to cherish national jealousies and prejudices, but in the world of science far removed above the din of warning selfish- ness, whether individual or national, the touch of truth should make the whole world kin, and the whole universe fatherland. - This is but a poor little insignificant thing, this proposed International Code of Ornithological Nomenclature, but still it would be a step, however small, in the direction to which all our efforts should tend, and it is one that I have reason to believe now feasible. Will none of our great ornithologists at home make the attempt and set the matter on foot ? A. O. H. On an overlooked species of Aeguloides. By W. Epwin Brooks, ¢.£. On several occasions, when my friend Mr. Mandelli sent me examples of Reguloides superciliosus from Darjeeling, I was struck with their very bright coloration. I had often obtained fresh autumnal examples in the plains of the North-West Pro- vinces of India, but they were all much duller intone. I observed that the colour of the supercilium, and of the head generally, differed. The supercilium being in the one case brownish white or exceedingly pale brown, and in the other pale yellow. The same difference existed in the colour of the cheeks, a pale brownish colour against greenish white, more or less tinged with yellow in the other bird. I did not then con- sider what such variation implied. Two or three weeks ago another friend, the Editor of this journal, sent me three examples shot at Shillong in October last. These were in beautiful fresh autumnal plumage. In addition to the greenish yellow supercilium and the pale yellowish cheeks, there was a blackish olive band on each side of the head, which expanded laterally towards the nape of the neck, where they united, forming a sort of dusky narrow half collar, most distinctly and abruptly separated from the olive green of the back. Down the centre of the crown was a greenish grey coronal streak, very much more marked than seen in North-West examples. This head coloration, 7.e., the dark lateral bands, much resembled that of Megulotdes occi- pitalis or R. trochiloides. The other two examples did not show this peculiar head coloration so strongly, and they were not quite so bright in plumage. I have the same bird shot near Howrah in January, and I have seen others in the Indian ’ ON AN OVERLOOKED SPECIES OF REGULOIDES. 129 Museum obtained near Calcutta. These all showed that the fine dark markings of the head fade very rapidly. This appearance of the head, coupled with the bright plumage of the birds, led Mr. Hume to think he had gota new Regu- loides ; but this is not the case, I think, and the brown-headed bird of the North-West, hitherto standing unchallenged as Regu- loides superciliosus, is the new bird, if new it can be called, and at any rate the one which is now in want of a name. The brightest North-West example I ever obtained, I sent to Mr. Dresser ; and it is referred to in Birds of Europe. I shall quote the entire description of the species from Mr. Dresser’s work :— Reguloides superciliosus. “ Adult male in breeding plumage (Lake Baikal, May 22nd.) Crown, nape, back, and scapulars greyish olive; rump and upper tail-coverts washed with green; wings dull dark brown ; all the quills, except the inner secondaries, edged with yellow- ish green on the outer web; inner secondaries slightly, and larger and median wing-coverts broadly, tipped with white, slightly shaded with sulphur yellow ; rectrices dull dark brown, narrowly edged on the outer web with pale yellowish green ; sides of the face white, intermixed with greyish olive; from the base of the bill over the eye to the nape, a tolerably broad dirty white stripe; underparts including chin and throat white, on the flanks washed with greenish grey ; bill dark brown; iris dark brown; legs light brown. Total length about 33 inches ; culmen, 0°45 ; wing, 2°1; tail, 1°7 ; tarsus, 0°7 ; first primary short, but 0°25 longer than the wing-coverts and 0°9 shorter than the second, which is 0°3 less than the third; third and fourth about equal, being the longest. “ Adult male in autumn (Darasun, 29th August) differs from the above-described bird in having the upper parts very much greener, the tips to the wing-coverts and secondaries, and the stripe over the eye (which latter is large and clearly developed) being bright sulphur yellow instead of white; flanks washed with pale greenish yellow, with but little trace of grey. A specimen shot by Mr. W.E. Brooks, of Etawah, on the 16th October, has the upper parts duller than the bird killed in August above described ; the margins to the wing-coverts and secondaries are dull yellowish buff; the superciliary stripe is yellowish buff ; and the flanks and breast are washed with pale buff with a yellowish tinge. “ Female.—Similar to the male, but a trifle duller in colour.” IT have given in italics the part of the above description relat- ing to the Etawah bird, that I wish to be noted. I have not seen a brighter-coloured specimen of the North-West bird. 17 130 ON AN OVERLOOKED SPECIES OF REGULOIDES. In the summer, these little birds lose the yellow, and often the green colour, very much indeed. It does not take long for a yellow supercilium to fadeto dull white. To be described and compared correctly, all these birds should be dealt with in early autumnal plumage. Those of brightest plumage are the young in their first plumage. Most of us know that the Wil- low Wren, after its first moult, is never so yellow again; in fact it can only be called a yellow bird before the moult. Ihave shot hundreds of Reguloides in the plains of the North- West, but I never once obtained one answering to Mr. Dresser’s description, except so much of it as refers to my bird. Anything — like the fine Shillong birds I never saw there. I have also look- ed over the collections of friends from the North-West, but all were what I shall distinguish as the brown-headed bird. Take the head of Phylloscopus rufus (P. collybita) or of P. tristis, and you have a head not unlike that of our North-West Reguloides, except that these have no coronal streak. The eyebrow and cheek or side of face are not those of Reguloides superciliosus, the Shil- long and Sikhim bird. The original description of the bird is :— “61. Yellow-browed Warbler. Description.—Above, greenish ; beneath, pale coloured ; on the crown of the head a pale streak ; over the eye a stripe of yellow. Inhabits Russia. ”’ * “ Yellow-browed Warbler, Lath. Syn., II, p. 409, n. 16. Habitat in Russia. Penant: From G. F. Gmelin’s systema nature, Lepsie, 1788, page 975. This description suits the Sikhim and Shillong bird, also Mr. Dresser’s Russian birds and those of Lower Bengal, but it does not suit the brown-headed bird of the North-West in any stage, from September to June. I havea couple of birds shot near Calcutta by myself in January last, and it is very easy to see that they are identical with the fine Shillong examples, though a good deal faded. But these birds vary much in brilliancy even in new feather. I shall now briefly note the points of difference :— 1. The supercilium, lemon coloured or yellow in one, (super- ciliosus,) and brownish white or pale rufous buff in the other. In each case the supercilium would fade to what Mr. Dresser calls dirty white. 2. Greenish white cheeks, or sides of face more or less tinged with yellow (in superciliosus) against the brownish cheek of the other bird. In each case the cheek is minutely mottled “% Mr. Penant: From “A General Synopsis of Birds,” by John Latham, M.D., Vol. II, part 2nd, page 459. On this is founded @melin’s Motacilla superciliosa; thus described : 120—Motacilla superciliosa. M. supra virescens, subtuy palida, yerticis stria pallida, superciliis flavis.” ON AN OVERLOOKED SPECIES OF REGULOIDES. 131 with brown. We have in both Mose points cool coloration against one inclined to warm. 3. The peculiar dark lateral bands on the side of the head of the Eastern bird, and the well-defined greenish grey coronal streak, also the lateral expansion of this dark colour at the nape, forming a narrow haif-collar. No such appearance ever being visible in the North-West bird, the head of which is a plain olive brown, often more brown than olive, blended into the colour of the back, and having the coronal streak very faintly defined, often not visible. This difference of crown of head is alone, to my mind, conclusive. 4, The very superior greenness of the back, wings, and tail of the Hastern bird or Reguloides superciliosus. 5. The brighter yellow of tips to greater coverts in R. superciliosus ; in fact, wherever both birds are yellow, that of &. superciliosus is much purer. I remember seeing last year the English-killed example of R. superciliosus, in the Museum of my friend John Hancock. This is identical with my Calcutta birds, and has the pale lemon-coloured supercilium and the generally greenish head. It appears first to have occurred to Mr. A. O. Hume that we had two distinct birds under the one name; so with his permis~ sion I propose calling the North-West bird Reguloides humei, the Brown-headed or Hume’s Keguloides. ' Like R. superciliosus, but has the supercilium pale brownish buff to brownish white, as in P. tristis; cheeks strongly tinged with pale ruddy buff, and seldom having an admixture of yellow ; they are mottled as in the affined species with dark brown; top of head, brown, rather inclined to olive; coronal streak very faint, often not visible; colour of top of head at all times blended into colour of back; back wings and tail as in superciliosus, but of less bright green, and yellow tips to wing-coverts not so pure; in other respects the plumage much resembles that of superciliosus. An examination of a series of Siberian and Russian ex- amples would be interesting, to show whether both birds have a similar migratory range. Perhaps &. humet does not go north of the Himalayas and ranges adjacent to them. The Chinese bird will be £&. swperciliosus most probably. The separation of this Reguloides will, I know, be ques- tioned by European ornithologists; especially by those who follow Darwin and believe in the mutability of species; but all I can say is, let any one who likes try and prove identity in the present case with the facts that I have pointed out before 132 ON AN OVERLOOKED SPECIES OF REGULOIDES. him. A mere opinion won’t do. He must satisfactorily dispose of all the facts noted in this paper. I was extremely puzzled by Mandelli never sending me a bird that correspond- ed with my brown-headed North-West ones, but now the reason is clear. His &. prorequlus, on the other hand, agreed perfectly with North-West Himalayan examples, which to my mind disposes of Mr. Hume’s argument as to the habitual greater intensity of colouring in individuals obtained in moister localities. The exact geographical distribution of the two closely-affined Reguloides is an interesting question, and of this we may know more hereafter. Although the two birds are close to each other in general appearance, the three Hrythrosterna—parva, ailbicilla, and hyperythra—are even closer. I could cite many other species with slighter differences than those existing between the two Reguloides under consideration. I have heard the call note of each, and I cannot say they are different : but we have apparent identity of note in many species where there is the most marked distinction. A distinct _ note is, however, conclusive. Since the above paper was written I have examined a selec- tion of the two birds from Mr. Hume’s museum. As regards darkness of head, R. superciliosus, or the greener bird, is very variable, some having the top of the head green without any blackish markings. It is most probable that the very green and yellow birds, without the dark ¢rochiloides-like head coloration, are those in first or nestling plumage, and that the dark colour is not acquired till after the first moult. The converse of this would hardly be likely. Iknow that young Willow Wrens (P. trochilus) are of lighter tone, and immeasur- ably more yellow than the old birds. In fact, the old bird cannot be called yellow in comparison. This rule is, I believe, pretty general as regards these little birds ; and A. superciliosus, in spite of its wing bars, is wonderfully close to P. trochilus. They are both Willow Wrens, and have similar call-notes, nests, and eggs. _ The upper figure on the plate of R. superciliosus in Mr. Dres- ser’s “Birds of Europe,” shot at Darasun, 29th August, I take to be a nestling bird in first brilliant green and yellow plumage. It precisely agrees with Mr. Hume’s specimen procured at Mergui in Tenasserim, on the 6th November 1874. On the other hand, the lower figure of the plate is well represented by some of the January Burmese examples of the old bird, some- what faded. I don’t think much, if any, of the blackish olive head coloration would be left by the middle of summer. Traces of it are visible on two birds I shot near Caleutta about Christmas time last year. I decidedly think that these dark- headed birds are the old ones after their autumnal moult; and ON AN OVERLOOKED SPECIES OF REGULOIDES. 133 the young would probably acquire this plumage in the early spring moult. I have shot great numbers of Reguloides and Phylloscopi undergoing a spring moult. Iam not sure whether quill and tail feathers are then changed; certainly the body feathers are, including the wing-coverts. Sylvine birds, with a spotted nestling plumage, moult the first autumn, and whether they undergo a spring moult again I don’t know; but I have shot Stone Chats moulting in March. I am pretty sure the migratory Phylloscopi and Reguloides do not undergo an autumnal moult in the year that they are hatched. I once brought up a young P. trochilus from the nest, which acat had found out; she had eaten two of them. This little bird was as usual very yellow; and when the time for migrat- ing had come, there was not the slightest signs of a moult, but it was in perfect plumage. Ithad become so tame that Thad great difficulty in losing the little bird amongst some bushes where I turned him off. When he appeared busy catch- ing insects and searching the leaves, I ran off, only to find him on my shoulder again before I had gone a hundred yards. At last lL avoided him, and I hope he lived to acquire mature plumage. He had abundance of insect food, and used to clear the window panes of flies in avery short time every day. When satisfied he would go to rest on my shoulder, and stay there till I replaced him in his cage. I mention this to show that he was well fed, and that the moult was not retarded for want of good food. It is not always easy to separate the young birds of R. humez from those of R. superciliosus; for the former then has its maximum amount of green and yellow, still some of the tawny or rufous tone can always be found about the head or neck enough to separate the bird ; but let the mature plumage once be acquired, and all difficulty vanishes, and the two birds are then very easy to deal with, for they are most pronounced. Rt. humei varies much as regards rufous tone ; some birds having this colour much more pronounced than others. Simi- larly, with regard to dark head markings of 2. superciliosus, there is great individual variation, to such an extent as to lead to the idea that the very dark lugubris-like ones were another, and a third bird, but I think this can hardly be the case. Huropean crnithologists, who have seen much of this little bird, may be able to throw further light on the subject. Mr. Hume sent me one of the birds I shot off the nest in Cashmere. There were four eggs which I marked with a small eross. The bird is decidedly A. humez, A Cashmere example, procured in Cashmere by Doctor Jerdon in 1867, is also the same species. 134 ON AN OVERLOOKED SPECIES OF REGULOIDES. At Mr. Brooxs’ request I append a note to this paper. Most certainly the two birds differ conspicuously in appearance, and most certainly their geographical range is distinct. I haye a very large series, no less than 120 specimens, now befére me killed at various seasons of the year, from the latter part of August to the end of May. The very brightest and greenest specimens of the North-West bird killed at the end of September or very early in October, are clearly browner, and Jess green than, and have a different tint of colouring to, any that I have seen of the Eastern bird. In going through even a large series like mine, I have not found the smallest difficulty in separating the two forms. The following are lists of the specimens before me. 1st.—Of the brown-headed species . hume?, Brooks. Murree ; 3 specimens ; 10th September to 26th October. Pir Punjal, Cashmere; 1 specimen; 12th May. Gulmerg, Cashmere; 4 specimens; 26th May, 6th June. Dharumsala; 2 specimens ; April, May. Simla; 1 specimen ; October. Mussoorie ; 2 specimens; September and October. *Middle range of Hills, north of Mussoorie ; 1 specimen. Delhi; 7 specimens ; October, November. Sambhur ; 1 specimen ; November. Futtehgurh ; 6 specimens; October, November. Etawah ; 37 specimens ; August, September, October, Novem- ber, January, February, and March. Cawnpoor; 17 specimens; October, November, February and March. Mogul Serai; 1 specimen ; November. Dinapoor; 3 specimens ; November. Durgapur; 1 specimen ; November. Saugor; 10 specimens; October, November, December, January, February and March. Raipoor ; 1 specimen ; March. ' Sumbhalpore ; 2 specimens ; December. 2nd,—Of the greener bird, R. superciliosus, Gm. apud Brooks. Darjeeling ; 2 specimens; January. Howrah ; 2 specimens; December. Syriam, near Rangoon; 1 specimen; January. Thatone, Tenasserim; 1 specimen; December. Mooleyit 4 2 specimens; February. Nalween Dist. ,, 1 specimen. Kaukaryit, Houng-Thraw River; 2 specimens; January. Topee, Tenasserim: 1 specimen; January. Amherst ,, 1 specimen; January. * Since this was written a large series received from the Valley of Nepal, all prove to belong to the brown-headed form. ON AN OVERLOOKED SPECIES OF REGULOIDES. 135 Mergui, Tenasserim ; 1 specimen ; November. Shillong, Assam ;3 specimens ; October. All Brooks’ breeding birds from Cashmere belong to the brown-headed race, If the birds are distinct, then all his egos belong to that, and not to the true superciliosus. The difficulty that I have felt in accepting the two birds as distinct species, for I have long recognized the difference in tone of colour in the Burmese > birds, ‘consists in my knowledge of the great variation in this, that is produced by differences ‘of humidity in the tracts inhabited. Compare the North-West Provinces Pericrocotus brevirostris, Glaucidium brodiet, Syrnium nivicolum, with specimens of the same species from Sikhim, The coloration is invariably and conspicuously deeper in the latter. Take Pericrocotus roseus from the dry North-West, and the same bird from humid Tenasserim. Take Pericrocotus peregrinus from arid Sindh, and the same bird from the moist slopes of the Assam- boo Hills. Take Picus mahrattensis from dry Upper India, and the same birds from below the ghats in Rutnaghiri. Great differences in rainfall sharply restrict the areas of - distribution of many species, while in the case of others possess- ing greater adaptive capacity they greatly change the tone of plumage. Look at all the pale Persian and Belooch forms. I might multiply instances indefinitely, but the thing is too apparent. At the same time such changes, though common to a degree, are by no means the rule. Numbers of species undergo no such changes. Reguloides proregulus is, as Mr. Brooks remarks, the same alike from Murree to Debrooghur, but then it must be remarked that to the best of my belief this species is re- stricted to a humid climate, and is never found in the drier regions except as a bird of passage. But there are many of ' whom this cannot be asserted, and whose colours seem un- affected by climatic variations of this nature. Whether then the North-Western and Eastern forms of this Reguloides shall be accepted as distinct species, is a mere matter of opinion; sometimes I have thought that they should be, as indeed I have of the two extreme forms of Pericrocotus peregri- nus; but on the whole my present views incline the other way. Still when Crocopus chlorigaster, phenicopterus and viridifrons, Thamnobia cambaiensis and fulicata, and a score of other similar pairs and trios are accepted as distinct species, no logical grounds for rejecting these can be put forward, and as to my mind all classification is to a great extent, as regards minor details like this, a matter of convenience, it does not appear to me to matter one zofa whether these closely-affined forms are regarded as species or races; the only important point is 136 OBSERVATIONS ON MOTACILLA ALBA, LINN., that their differences should be clearly recognized and recorded, and for this we are all, whatever view we may take of the species in question, very much indebted in this case to Mr. Brooks, A. QO. ai. Obserbations ou silotucilla alba, Hinw., and other GAngtails. By W. Epwin Brooks, c.z.* THe continuation of my friend Mr. Seebohm’s paper on the Ornithology of Siberia in the Jbis for July 1878, is to me most interesting, and he deserves the thanks of all ornithologists for the number of valuable facts brought to light, which, but for his energy and enthusiasm, might for ever have remained unknown. Some of his identifications are most interesting, but to one, which by the bye is also Mr. Dresser’s, we must, I think, most decidely object. A resemblance in some particulars does not prove identity, but only close affinity. For identity, we must have the elosest correspondence in all material points. Now, suppose the adults of any two recognized species were absolutely undistinguish- able, and that the young of each did not correspond in all material points, then the two birds are selon moi, as specifical- ly distinct as any two with widely distinct adult plumages. I am referring more particularly to small insectivorous birds and Warblers, where we very seldom see variation, if at all. Amongst some genera there may be found slight specific variation, but the species belonging to migratory genera, as Motacilla, Budytes, Anthus, Ruticilla, Sylvia, Acrocephalus, Lo-. custella, Phyllopneuste, and many others that might be mentioned, are wonderfully constant to their specific characteristics, even though collected thousands of miles apart. Now Anthus trwi- * alis of India is absolutely undistinguishable from the same bird in Europe. So also with Erythrosterna parva and Butalis grisola of the two Continents. Budytes rayi of Yarkand is exactly represented by Mr: Dresser’s plate in “ Birds of Europe,” and I have compared the Yarkand examples with European ones, and there was not the faintestdifference. Curruca rufa, the Com- mon White Throat of the two Continents, corresponds most mi- nutely. Reguloides superciliosus, obtained near Calcutta, does not differ a hair’s breadth from the example shot by Mr. Han- cock at Hartley on the Northumberland Coast. All the Ducks agree marvellously well, and so do numbers of other species that I might mention ; but I think I have cited enough to show * It is almost needless to repeat that the Editor is in no degree responsible for the opinions of his contributors, AND OTHER WAGTAILS. 137 that we must look for close specific correspondence between the two Continents, instead of divergence as regards the same spe- cies. Certainly, the same Motacil/a ought not to be notably different in the two Continents. Of the two Wagtails in question, MW. alba and M. dukhu- nensis, Mr. Seebohm states nothing regarding the song of each. All black and white Wagtails have songs, and that of M. mada- raspatana is particularly good. Suppose M. aléa and MV. du- khunensis have different songs; what then? But similarity of song won't prove identity, for I don’t think any one could dis- tinguish the songs of Erythrosterna parva and EL. hyperythra without seeing the birds. The call-notes of the black and white Wagtails are wonderfully alike, so are those of the Budytes. The points of difference in MM. alba and M. dukhunensis worth noting are :— 1. WM. alba has, as a rule, a darker grey back than the other. 2. iM. alba does not show nearly such white greater coverts as the other bird, and it ought to do so if the same. It never does, and on this alone specific identity is impossible. Now I can always separate the immature of MU. luzoniensis (M. alboi- des apud Seebokm) by the superior whiteness of the greater coverts, and this is the only mode of separation where both birds occur—at Patna and Dinapore for instance. I, therefore, from my own observation, attach the greatest importance to the white wing-coverts that Mr. Seebohm thinks lightly of. With reference to the white wing-coverts, Mr. Seebohm says: “The latter form seems to be confined to Siberia and India.” Intermediate and apparently connecting examples are not conclusive; they prove great similarity or close affinity, and nothing more. By intermediate or undecided birds, two species could be united which the pronounced birds of each would utterly condemn. A fully mature or perfect bird against a fully mature bird is a fair comparison. Take a fine-plumaged M. dukhunensis ; let it weather and wear for some months, and its wing-coverts will have lost so much of their white ends that it would match an alba in better plumage, and thus the two species are bridged over ; falsely so, I say, in such delicate cases fresh feather must be compared against fresh feather, and birds should be of the same age. On the other hand, search the a/ba district for the white wing- coverts of dukhunensis, and you completely fail. 3. Dukhunensis is, 1 believe, the larger bird of the two; and the bill is stronger and I think rather longer as well. 4, The young of alba, in first plumage, have a pale yellow or straw-coloured tint about the head, strongly differing from the pure white of the lower parts. I have shot great 18 138 OBSERVATIONS ON MOTACILLA ALBA, LINN., numbers of young dukhunensis on their early autumnal arrival, but never saw this yellow tinge so conspicuous on young alba on any single head. This difference alone is conclusive, even if the adult birds had exactly the same wing-coverts. A simi- lar difference is observable in the young of the two Budytes, rayt and flava, one being dull fulvous white, and the other white. This goes strongly against the lately fashionable theory, as baseless as it was fashionable, that all the species cf Budytes are varieties of one, viz., flava. The idea that melano- cephala, or cinereocapilla, or even rayt, might have been the source, appears not to have occurred. And what about the long-billed and most distinct B. tatvanus? It was confounded with rayi; but a glance at it forbids the idea, its structural difference being so decided. 5. Why should MM. alba and M. dukhunensis, if the same bird, differ, since other Wagtails, common to both Continents, as B. melanocephala, and B. cinereocapilla, do not ditfer ? My observations lead me to the conclusion that the black and white Wagtails are remarkably constant in their characteristics, and they are about the last birds in which I should expect Continental variation. Difference of longitude, no more than difference of latitude, can affect the small insectivorous migrants. In the present case I would not consent to identity until the white wing-coverts are as common in Europe as in India, and until the young in both Continents were alike. A slight differ- ence is often of very great importance, and a constant differ- ence, however slight, is against identity, and is of the same value as if the differences were numerous and most marked. ‘To the ornithologist it should be so. . Take two Buntings that Mr. Dresser keeps distinct, and I think justly so—Z. cia and E stracheyi. The differences are not so well marked as in the two Wagtails. In the latter we have not only adult difference and geographical difference, ‘but we have, too, a juvenile difference. I don’t see what more is required for specific distinctness. The difference in the juvenile plumage is a very strong one, stronger than the wing- coverts of the adults. It cannot be set aside. I think we should also take great notice of the much superior grey of dukhunensis at all times. Alba is much more dusky. I forget whether adult a/ba is tinged with straw colour about the head in winter. Dukhunensis never is. This question leads to another: European examples of B. flava don’t agree as regards the head with those of India. The grey of the crown of the former is darker, and there is an amount of very dark grey on the cheek, mixed with a small white streak or two, which dark grey we do not see in the Indian AND OTHER WAGTAILS. : 139 bird. The latter’s cheeks are pale grey and pure white, and the crown is always of a pure light grey, in full plumage. I think, too, the tail of the European species is longer; but of this I am not quite sure. We ought to have the same exact correspondence in flava of the two Continents that we have in melanocephala and cinereocapilla ; and I therefore propose that Hodgson’s term of Budytes dubius be used for the Indian representative of B. flava. The adult females in breeding plumage of each should be compared, and the young in first plumage. Abolishing a recognized species where a slight difference is ° well known to exist, as in MW. dukhunensis, is not satisfactory ; and I always feel, in such a case, that an injustice has been done to a bird worthy of a better fate. When we have not the means of absolute proof, and intermediate bridging examples are not proof, the bird should be allowed to stand for the sake of convenience. It does not much matter, while we have this differing “form” constantly before us, whether it is actually specific or not. Even Mr. Darwin himself could not prove the point. We may abolish this species or that, but while one strong fact remains, the majority of observers won’t concur. The most perfect case of bridging over by means of inter- mediate forms, is that of the Skylarks. A skin of dlauda gulgula could be stuffed inside that of alarge Persian or Punjab Skylark. One is a giant and the other a pigmy, yet by inter- mediate forms Mr. Dresser has bridged them over. Is this satisfactory ? Worst of all, both are found in India, but the large bird, A. dulcivox, is only a cold weather visitant, while gulgula breeds as far south as Cawnpore and Bhaugulpore. The Skylarks are a puzzle to us all, and we cannot tell exactly what constitutes specific difference in Alauda. Certainly there area good many kinds, and I believe the end of the world will come before they are all correctly separated. When man interferes with Nature, any thing may be done ; anda Bantam and a Cochin-China fowl may be legitimately bridged over; but Nature, as far as birds are concerned, with which man does not interfore, is immutable, and especially so are the small sylvine migrants. Six thousand years would not* alter the tint of a Reed Warbler, nor the form of its wing and bill, and I don’t see why a Wagtail should be less constant to its specific characters. Motacilla luzoniensis, Scopoli.—This Mr. Seebohm proposes to call M. alboides, Hodgson. It can never take this name, for M. alboides is beyond all doubt the winter plumage of * Ts not this, just a little, begging the question >—Ep 140 NOVELTIES. M. hodgsoni, Gray. There is anote upon the drawing of Hodg- son’s WM. alboides as follows: “ Motacilla hodgsoni, Blyth, alboides mihi; then follow dimensions that I need not trans- cribe, and below them this note: “ Valley of Nepal, January 15th, sexes and youth all together.” After this particulars of bill, nostrils, feet, &c., note carefully that Hodgson refers to a winter bird, when no luzoniensis would be found there, for it migrates far south, even to the islands of the Indian seas. Besides, his drawing shows no white band down the sides of the neck ; this white band being in connection with the white of the forehead, as in dukhunensis, alba, and édugubris. More- over, the back is shown to be pure black, and the back of luzoniensis is not all black in winter. Hodgson’s drawing is a very good one indeed of M. hodgsoniin January. Its throat, to the extent shown in the drawing, is white, and does not become black again till the spring is well advanced. I have had the bird in every month of the year. MM. personata also gets a white throat in winter. Let Mr. Seebohm carefully examine Hodgson’s drawing No. 1383, the copy in the British Museum, the original being with Mr. Hume, and he will see that it cannot possibly represent Motacilla luzoniensis. If the white of the forehead in Sonnerat’s plate is not con- fluent with the white of the sides of the breast, as in alba, 1.e., if there be not an irregular white band down the side of the neck joining the white forehead and white about the region of the eye, this band reaching as low as bend of wing till it communicates with the white of the lower surface, then the bird is not that generally known as luzoniensis, but is pro- bably immature personata or some affined species ; but it could not be the resident Himalayan hodgsonz. In this case why should not Gould’s term of Jeucopsis be adopted, which is certainly not applicable to any other bird ? Aovelties. Garrulax subcerulatus, Sp. Nov. Like G. cxrulatus, but more olivaceous and less rufescent above, and with the ear-coverts, feathers behind the eye, and posterior portions of cheeks, sil- very white, more or less tipped with black, and with the three eatercor tail feathers on either side broadly tipped with white. This markedly distinct, but yet closely-allied, species replaces G. cerulatus of Nepal, Sikhim, &c., on parts of the Khasia Hills near Shillong. NOVELTIES. 141 On the difference of the colour of the upper parts, marked as it is, I lay no stress, because Sikhim and Nepal birds of this class are always deeper colored and more rufescent than speci- mens of the same species from the Khasias. ButI have exam- ined over 30 specimens of cerulatus, and not one exhibits a trace of the broad and conspicuous white tippings to the three external lateral tail feathers, characteristic of the present species, nor does one of them show a trace of the large pure white patch on the either side of the head that distinguishes subcerulatus. The following are dimensions taken from the skin :-— Length, 10 to11; wing, 4:2 to 4:6; tail, 5:0 to 5-8; tarsus, 1:48 to 1°6; bill at front from frontal bone, 0:96 to 1:03. Amongst our birds collected in the Malay Peninsula are two species which I am unable to identify ; they may possibly not be new, but I have spent some time in consulting every ayail- able authority, and I cannot find any trace of them. Iole terricolor, Sp. Nov.? Above, earthy brown ; chin, throat, abdomen, vent, lower tail-coverts, pure white ; breast, very pale dove brown ; ear-coverts, pale fawn brown. Length, 8:0; wing, 4:0; 5th and 6th primaries, equal and longest ; 4th, 0°1 ; 3rd, 0°3 ; 2nd, 1-0 ; 1st, 2 inches shorter; tail, 3°9 ; bill at front, straight from frontal bone to tips, 0:9; tarsus, 0°7. The entire upper plumage an almost perfectly uniform pure brown, not very light, a color intermediate between an earth brown and hair brown, but perfectly pure, and without tke faintest admixture of either rufous or olive; lores and ear- coverts a lighter rather warmer brown, much the color of the ear-coverts in Hemixus flavala; a dark patch under the eye at the base of the lower mandible, as in this latter species, but not so dark colored; chin, throat, wing-lining, inner margins of quills, abdomen, vent and lower tail-coverts, white; breast pale grey or dove brown; tail quite even; feathers of the forehead, crown, and occiput all sharply pointed. Bill as in Lole, that is to say, straighter, longer, and with a sharper culmen ridge than in Hemixus, but not so large as in Hypsipetes, though of much the same character. 142 NOVELTIES. This species is closely connected with the green section of the Hypsipetes, with Hemixus and Jole, but it is, in my opinion, closer on the whole to Jole, although no doubt the shape of the feathers of the throat remind one more of Hypsipetes malac- censis. The bill, however, is much slenderer. This species, of which only one specimen was obtained, was shot in the neighbourhood of Malacca, and no colors of soft parts recorded, but the bill appears to be a moderately dark brown, paler on the lower mandible, and the feet appear to have been a moderately pale grey brown. Rallina telmatophila, Sp. ov. Rich olive brown, breast paler ; chin and throat, white ; wing lining, axil- laries, and abdomen, flanks, and lower tail-coverts, black, broadly banded with white. Length, 9:0; wing, 5°35; tail, 3:0; tarsus, 1:7; mid toe and claw, 1:66; bill at front, 1-2. The sex was not recorded, neither were the colors of the soft parts, but in the dry skin the legs and feet are almost black, and were probably deep green. The upper mandible deep brown, the lower mandible green- ish horny. The entire upper plumage, visible when the wings are closed, a very rich warm slightly olivaceous brown, almost precisely the color of the back of a good dark specimen of Cinclus asiatica, or a freshly-moulted specimen of Dumeticola affinis. A paler brown line from the nostrils over the lores ; lores, cheeks, and ear-coverts dull earth brown ; the bases of the feathers whit- ish; chin and throat pure white; breast, a pale dingy slightly olive brown; entire abdomen, sides, flanks, axillaries, wing- lining, lower tail-coverts, black, broadly banded with white ; quills, with the inner webs brewn, and on the lower surface the basal portions with large white spots or imperfect bars not extending to the shafts; the drd and 4th quills are equal and longest. This bird is clearly closely connected with Rallina fasciata, but it hasalonger bill, much more massive tarsi, green or black legs, pure white chin and throat, no barrings on the upper wing- coverts or outer webs of the quills, and it has the red every- where replaced by olive brown. ; RECENTLY-DESCRIBED SPECIES. 143 Except in the size of bill our specimen does not differ greatly in dimensions from male fasciata, but the bill is very conspi- cuously larger. Shot a few miles inland from Malacca. Aecentlp-described Species. Republications. Turdinus nagaensis, *“God.-Aust. «6 Above, dark umber brown throughout, with no streaking on the feathers of the head; beneath the same colour, but much paler, with a slight rusty tint shading into and adjacent to the all whitish penitce of breast 5 chin Sika whitish; irides dark brown ; legs and feet light sienna grey. Sy Length about 5°7; wing, 2:2; tail, 2°2; tarsus, 0°90; bill at front, 0°50; mid toe and claw, 0 72; hind toe, 0°35 ; claw, 0°35. «This species is very distinct from 7. garoénsis in its deeper umber coloration and smaller size; particularly is this the case in the size of the lees, feet, and the hind claw. Mr. A. W. Chennell, of the Topographical Survey, obtained this bird in the Hastern Naga Hills.” —A. § Ml. NV. H., December 1877, p. 519. : Staphidea plumbeiceps, God,-Aust. “Head ash grey, purer behind ; feathers narrowly edged paler ; back pale olive brown, a few feathers pale shafted ; wings umber brown; tail darker, the four outer feathers tipped with white, increasing outwards diagonally; lores pale grey ; the ear-coverts only ‘to just beneath ‘the eye chestnut; the feathers white shafted; chin, throat, and all the lower parts white ; flanks pale sepia orey ; under tail-coverts the same, tipped white ; irides reddish brown; legs umber. “ Length, 4:6; wing, 2°3; tail, 2°05; tarsus, 0°7; bill at front, 0°3. * This I at first thought must be Pellorneum tickelli, Blyth, described, BE, £, 299 note, which I have from Amherst, Tenasserim, and also from care but I now find that it is identical with Pellornewm ignotum, Hume, 8, F., V., 334, which name has precedence. 144 RECENTLY-DESCRIBED SPECIES. “This bird is close to Staphidea torqueola, Swinh., but in that species the chestnut commences at the base of the lower man- dible, passes under the eye, and round the nape in a broad band of chestnut brown, and the last three tertiaries are margined white on inner web. This is absent in the Assam bird, ob- tained by Mr. M. J. Ogle near Sadya and Brahmakhend, East- ern Assam. “In my note book I find that I obtained one example in the Dikrang valley, Dafla hills, which I shot at camp No 9, but this was subsequently lost somehow or other, and therefore I did not bring it in the list of birds from the Dafla hills, published in the Journal, Asiatic Society of Bengal.”—A. § M. N. H., December 1877, p. 519. “ Can this be Izulus striatus, Blyth? Blandford,in J. A. 8S. B., 1872, p. 166, says the Darjeeling bird is the same as the Te- nasserim type in the Calcutta Museum, but mentions that it has a rufous supercilium, which none of my specimens possess. “Since writing the above, I have received from Mr. W. Blandford, in a letter from Calcutta, in reply to some questions I wrote to him regarding this species, Jz. striatus, some remarks which I now quote: “I have two specimens of the Sikhim bird. I have recompared them with the type from Tenasserim, and I cannot understand how I can have identified the two. The Tenasserim bird is, as Blyth describes it, greyish brown (ashy brown according to Tickell) ; the cap may have been a trifle darker, but very little, not so distinct 1 should say as in the Sikhim bird, and the white shafts are far more conspicuous in the Tenasserim type. Above all the bill is much larger in_ the latter, the difference is so marked that I think that I must have compared a Sikhim specimen differing from those I have now. The cheek patch is distinct, but faint. The specimen from Sikhim, (Zz. rufigenis, Hume) which I now have, the rufous supercilium is only indicated posteriorly.” This last title was given to the Sikhim bird by Mr. A.O. Humein Stray Fearuers, Vol. V., p.108. Mr. Blanford has now followed up his letter by sending me two specimens from Mr. Mandelli’s collection of this Darjeeling form, and on comparison I found that it is quite distinct from plumbeiceps. This last has the head of a decided ash grey colour, and the feathers are more lengthened behind, so as to give a subcrested appearance ; bill shorter and deeper; legs stouter, altogether a larger bird. In one specimen from Darjeeling, there is an extension shewn off the rufous of the ear-coverts round the nape, of which there is not a trace in the Sadiya examples. These are the dimensions of rufigenis. Wing, 2°45; tarsus, 0°6; bill at front, 0:47. RECENTLY-DESCRIBED SPECIES. 145 “The wings run about equal. This genus presents us with an interesting example of modification of plumage in areas that are In a great measure separated now physically. We appear to have five forms :— 1. Staphidea castaneiceps, Moore, (1854). Garo, Khasi and Naga Hills. 2. Staphidea striatus, Blyth, (1859). Tenasserim. 3. Staphidea rufigenis, Hume. Sikhim Hills. 4. Staphidea plumbeiceps, Godwin-Austen. Sadiya, Eas- tern Assam. 5. Staphidea torqueola, Swinhoe. W. China.” — God.-Aust., dion. oe UV IL pt Ele 20,1875. [To this list we must add the perfectly distinct S. or J. humilis, Hume, from the summit of Mooleyit, described, S. F., V., 106.—Ep., 8. F.] Scops minutus, W. V. Legge. “At Trincomalie, in July 1875, I obtained a young bird belonging to a small species of Scops Owl unknown to me. I kept it some little time, and it then died. In May of the following year, while staying with Mr. Bligh, of Cotton Estate, Haputale, I met with a skin of an adult bird, which he had caught in the chimney of his bungalow at Kotmalie, and which I recognized as belonging to the same species as my young bird. Its small size and dark plumage prevented my identifying it with any Scops Owl, described in Mr. Sharpe’s Catalogue, and through the kindness of Mr. Bligh I was enabled to send it home to the British Museum. It has now been presented to the national collection by that gentleman. “Messrs. Whyte & Co., of Kandy, have just sent home to Mr. Sharpe, on loan, a second example, killed in one of the coffee-districts near Kandy. On our comparing the series thus obtained with the Seops Owl in the national collection, this species turns out to be new, being distinguished from other Indian members of the genus by its small size and dark colour. Messrs. Whyte & Co. state they have received once before an example of this Owl. I propose to describe this interesting little addition to the Avifauna of Ceylon under the name of Scops minutus, it appearing to be the smallest Scops Owl yet discovered. “ Description.—Male.—Length to front of cere (from skin), 60; culmen, 0°55; wing, 4°85; tail, 2:1; tarsus, 0°8; outer anterior toe, 0°7; its claw straight, 0°4; height of bill at cere, 0°25, 19 146 RECENTLY-DESCRIBED SPECIES. ‘Tris yellow; bill olivaceous brown; cere greenish ; feet fleshy brown. | , “Above, the general hue is dark brown; the feathers of the head, back, rump, scapulars, tertials, and wing-coverts crossed at the centre with transverse spots of ochraceous, spotted finely, and closely vermiculated on the rest of their surfaces with grey and ochraceous grey, surrounding transverse irregular markings of blackish; the feathers of the hind neck are crossed. with bold wavy markings of whitish, and margined with rufescent buff; the outer scapulars are white externally, with blackish terminal spots and oblique central bars of the same edged with rufous; the primary and outer secondary coverts have their dark markings mingled with rufous patches and set off with white spots near the tips of the outer webs; primaries and secondaries brownish rufous, mottled with blackish brown, and the inner webs banded broadly with the same; the outer webs of the first five primaries crossed with five white blackish-margined bars; the tip paler than the rest of the feather, and mottled with dark brown; tail brownish, washed with rufous on some of the feathers near the base, mottled with blackish brown, and crossed with five or six bars of buff-white with black edges ; ear tufts concolorous with the head, and rufous at the base of the feathers. “Toreal plumes black, with white bases; facial disc grey, pencilled with blackish; ruff pale rufous, the feathers edged and centred with dark brown; chin whitish; foreneck and under surface, with the flanks, closely stippled with iron-grey ona white ground ; the feathers with broadish central stripes of blackish, and crossed on their concealed portions with fine wavy transverse black marks ; on the lower parts the stippling is more open, the under tail-coverts being chiefly white, with the markings confined to the tips; legs rufescent, with wavy brown transverse marks; under wing-coyerts whitish, shaded with rufescent, and crossed with irregular markings of brown. “The example sent home by Messrs. Whyte & Co., of Kandy, differs in the bolder nature of the transverse white spottings on the upper surface, and in the blackish markings taking the form of distinct shaft lines; the ruff is more con- spicuously edged, and is of a deeper buff than in the Museum specimen; the under surface is not so closely stippled, and does not present the same “ pepper-and-salt”” appearance, the markings taking the form of vermiculations, and the centre stripes being very bold. “ This little Owl comes nearer to Scops malayanus than any other Indian member of the genus, but differs from it in its RECENTLY-DESCRIBED SPECIES. 147 smaller size and in the darker upper parts, and closely stippled under surface. “Tn its young plumage, it is rufous on the entire upper surface, and the breast is whiter than in the adult. “ Habitat.—Northern, Western, and Central Provinces of Ceylon, probably the whole island. ‘Type in British Museum. * Locality.—Kotmalie, Central Provinces, Ceylon.” —A. & M. NV. H., February 1878, p. 174. Abrornis flavogularis, God.-Aust. “‘ Above, ash-grey, purer grey on rump, rather darker on the head ; wings pale umber-brown ; tail ash-brown; the two outer feathers white on the inner web, the next with a narrow edging of white; lores white; ear-coverts white and grey; chin pure yellow, fading on throat; breast, nape, flanks and thighs greyish white, whitest on the breast; a very faint yellow tinge on the abdomen; under tail-coverts white; a small patch of yellow on inner shoulder of the wing; bill dark above, buff below. Wing, 1°84; tail, 1°8; tarsus, 0°67 ; bill at front, 0:3. “< Habitat—Sadiya, (Mr. Ogle). Thisspecies is nearest to A. xanthoschistus, having the same coloration of the head and form of the bill; it is distinguished from all other species by its entirely ashy upper surface.”—Pr. A. S. B., April 1878, 108. Batrachostomus javensis, Horsfield apud God.-Aust. “This specimen belongs to the Indian Museum, Calcutta, where I found it among some skins that had been sent down by the late lamented Captain John Butler from the Naga Hills, and I was, by the kind permission of the trustees, allowed to bring it to England. Itis a most interesting specimen in the rufous phase of plumage, but unfortunately the sex is not marked. Itagrees with a specimen of B. javensis female in the collection of Lord Tweeddale, and the description of the species, as givenin P. Z. §., 1877, p. 435, and the dimensions do not differ materially. I give a description of the Naga Hill bird, interesting as being found so far to the northward. ‘Entire plumage rich chestnut brown, a few white feathers at the base of the upper mandible tipped rufous and barred 148 RECENTLY-DESCRIBED SPECIES. with black; white on chin and throat; some of the feathers on the latter crossed by a V-shaped dark line, but they only extend to the upper breast, this being covered by feathers having large rounded white centres, bounded on the terminal margin by a narrow dark line and fringed with chestnut; towards the abdomen and flanks the white marks become narrow and lengthened. The wing is unspotted, but con- spicuous white feathers margined with black are mingled with the scapulars, and there is a well-marked nuchal collar, each feather crossed by a narrow black line edged terminally by another ; there is a slight mottling of dull black on the primaries and secondaries and lower back ; the tailis similarly mottled and crossed by seven pale clear rufous bands ; the outer penultimate tail feather has five distinct white bars on the outer web, the very short outermost feather has a terminal whitish spot. Wing, 5:25; tail, 5°53; tarsus, 06; bill at front, 0°6 ; breadth at gape, 1°05 ; mid-toe and claw, 0°75. “The long frontal plumes are black, rufous at the base. “This bird is, I think, nearest to B. javensis, B. affinis apparently not having any white in front of the eye. “On my submitting this paper and the specimen to Lord Tweeddale he thus wrote to me: “This Naga Hill example of the genus Batrachostomus “without doubt belongs to the B. javensis (Horsf. ex Java}. I have critically compared the two and cannot detect any difference. It may turn out to be Mr. Hume’s B. castaneus, in which case B. hodgsoni will be- come a synonym of B. javensis. It is a large form of B. affinis, but the white on the throat seems to extend higher up, as it does in the Javan species, and in B. cornutus of Sumatra and Borneo.” Lord Tweeddale does not concur with me regard- ing the white mark in front of the eye, and says, “it is just as strongly marked in my examples of B, affinis.”’— God.-dust., J. A. S.B., XLVII, pt. I1., 13, 1868. [This description does not by any means correspond well with the specimens which I possess of B. castaneus, which I assume to be the rufous stage of B. hodgsoni, though this is still an open question. Not one of my specimens, for instance, has any érace even of the white bars referred to on the penultimate tail feathers. Still so little is as yet known of the changes of plumage in these Batrachostom: that, for the present, until I can examine the specimen from Assam, I cannot assert that B. javanensis may not be the same as P. castaneus. The latter is quite distinct from both afinis and stellatus, (javanensis apud Bly. nec. Horsf.), but it may be identical with true javanensis, of which I have no specimens.—Eb., 8S. F.] 149 Hotes. My FRIEND Mr. SHARPE adopts, in regard to several species included in his third Volume, names which appear to me to be indefensible from his stand point as par excellence a British Ornithologist. For instance, at page 146, he designates the Chough, Gracu- LUS GRACcULUS. This is in direct contravention of rule 13 of the Brit. Assoc. Code. Surely he who so ably presides over the British Ornithological collection should not set an example of transgressing that Code ! Tn this particular case too no necessity for it exists. For this genus three generic names only appear to have been proposed—Coracia, Brisson, 1760; Graculus, Koch, 1816; and Fregilus, Cuvier, 1817. Brisson’s generic name, though available under rule, must, I admit, be rejected as too close to Coracias, Linneus, which has by rule precedence, only such genera of Brisson being allowed as are supplemental to, and do not interfere with, those of Lin- - heeus, We, therefore, fall back up upon Graculus, the next oldest* name. No doubt this was also a Linnean genus, but as Mr. Sharpe points out one antecedent to the twelfth edition of the Syst. Nat., and noé retained in this latter, and, therefore, according to the Code null and void. The Code may be wrong, but so long as it is a Code we English are bound to abide by it, under penalty of introducing that abomination of confusion that hangs like a fog over the nomenclature of Codeless writers. We have only then to fix the earliest specific name. No doubt graculus, Linn., is the earliest (by one page), but that is inadmissible under the Code, we having accepted it as the generic name. The next name is another of Linnzeus’, viz. “ eremita’”’, S.N.I. 159. Badly as the species is described under this name, the “yostro pedibusque rubris,”’ and the references given, leave no reasonable doubt that the bird thus named was the Chough, and it seems to me to follow that this latter should stand as Graculus eremitus (Zzn.) In DeceMBER last Captain O’Moore Creagh shot a fine male Merganser or Goosander (Mergus castor) near Ajmere. This species is of course a mere straggler to these parts. *T do not consider the Chough, and Alpine Chough congeneric, but even if they were, as far as I can make out, Koch’s name was published earlier than Vieillot’s Pyrrhocorax, though both date from 1816, 150 NOTES. Nor Lone aGo my friend, Mr. Chill, kindly sent me two speci- mens in nearly full breeding plumage of Lobipes hyperboreus, shot by himself on the 2nd May 1877, at the Sooltanpoor Salt Works. This was probably on the birds’ northern migration. It will be remembered that Mr. Adam got specimens, (S. F., II., 338) at the Sambhur Lake (another salt source) at the close of September, when the birds were doubtless on their return journey to the sea coast. Except at times of passage they are never met with inland in India. I have now received nume- rous specimens from Kurrachee, the Gulf of Oman, and the Persian Gulf, and they occur also off the west coast of the peninsula though sparingly all the way to Ceylon and up the east coast to Madras, where my friend, Dr. Ludovic Stewart, obtained the first specimen, and where I have since found that, at times during the old season, they are almost common in the bazar. Cartan Butirr writes from Kurrachee :— “Calling on Colonel Renney here, I saw three beautiful living specimens of Myiophoneus horsfieldi, which he informed me that he had obtained, when quite young, at Poorbunder,” (in Kattiawar, E. Long. 69° 50’, and N. Lat. 21° 37’.) “He told me that several pairs breed in the cliffs there early in the rains, and that the people regularly take the young, which they sell for four annas or so to the residents, descending the cliffs by rope ladders.” This is the most westerly locality from which this species has been as yet recorded. See also S. F., III., 469. — Later again Captain Butler informs me that he has received a nest and eggs of this species, taken for him in these cliffs by a friend. EMBERIZA BUCHANAN, Bly., J. A. 8. B., XIII., 957, founded on one of Buchanan Hamilton’s drawings, has been generally identified with #. hortulana, Lin., even in recent works like Mr. Dresser’s. This identification depends, I believe, mainly on a foot note of Blyth’s to J. A. S. B., XVIIL., 811, “ £. buchanani, nobis=£F. hortulana, (L).”? Now I possess Blyth’s own copy of the J. A. S. B., sold to me by Jerdon when he was leaving India, and in this he has written in his own hand writing opposite the foot note, “ No!” and as a matter of fact this identification is quite wrong. Hortulana does not occur in India, while huttonz, which is common in Rajpootana and Central India, was the species figured by Buch., Ham., and described by Blyth loc cit NOTES. 151 as buchanani, which name must take precedence. The descrip- tion “differs from hortulana in having the head, neck, and streak descending from the lower mandible ash grey instead of dull green,” is quite sufficient to fix the species beyond possi- bility of doubt. I do not know on what grounds Moore and Horsfield (Cat. B. Mus., E. I. C., II., 484) identified Hamilton’s drawings with hortulana, from which it differs in colour, while it altogether agrees with huttoni; but the identification is certainly wrong, and I may add that hortulana certainly does not occur in any of those parts of India to which Hamilton’s investigations extended, (its Persian form, 2. shah, Bp., may extend to Khe- lat), while huttonz does. ON A PREVIOUS occasion (S. F., III., 313,) I fully described two specimens of a Baza, one from Tenasserim, the other from native Sikhim, which I doubtfully identified with B. sumatrensis, Lafres. It was a large bird. Wing in the male, 13:1; in the female, 13°75 ; much larger than the dimensions usually assigned to suma- trensis, and with a conspicuous central throat stripe, in this res- pect resembling magnirostris, and I proposed for it, if dis- tinct, the name of incognita. I have now to record another species of Baza shot in Octo- ber in the Wynaad—a young bird, obviously of quite a distinct species to my incognita, which I am disposed to identify with Mr. Legge’s species Baza ceylonensis, of which description and dimensions have already been given (S. F., IV., 247.) This present specimen measures in the skin :— Length, 17:3; wing, 11:95; tail, 7-9; tarsus, 15; bill from gape, 1°3 ; culmen from edge of cere to point, 1:03. The bird was a male, and these dimensions tally very well with Mr. Legge’s. The entire bill, cere, and claws appear to have been blackish ; the legs and feet yellow ; the tarsus feathered in front to within 0°62 of foot. Tke plumage is, however, in many respects very different to what Mr. Legge describes. The forehead, a very broad stripe from the forehead over the eye and ear-coverts, cheeks, chin, throat and breast, white, with a faint creamy tinge. The feathers of the forehead and some of those of the cheeks and superciliary band with brown shafts, and the central fea- thers of the chin and throat also with a dark shaft, as if 152 NOTES. indicating where, in an older bird, a central throat stripe would be; ear-coverts pale rufous brown; all the feathers of the posterior portion of the forehead, crown, occiput, and nape deep brown, more or less patched or suffused on many feathers with pale rufous, and all very broadly margined with white ; the crest jet black, broadly tipped with white; the longest fea- thers 2°8 in length. Interscapulary region and scapulars brown; the feathers, with one or two very broad inconspicuous darker brown transverse bands, and all narrowly margined at the tips with pale fulves- cent or fulvous white; rump, lower back, and upper tail- coverts a rather paler brown ; all the feathers narrowly tipped with white, and, as a rule, darkest just immediately behind this tipping. Tail earthy brown, narrowly tipped with white, with one very broad subterminal band nearly reaching to the white tipping ; two others higher up, and a third more or less imperfect one concealed by the upper tail-coverts ; primaries and second- aries much the same color as the tail, and banded on both webs with dark brown like the tail, and like it white tipped, but on the inner webs the outer portions of the interspaces above the emarginations are more or less pure white. Lesser coverts, winglet, and primary greater coverts deep brown, the former narrowly tipped with white ; median primary and median and greater secondary and tertiary coverts, and tertiaries a light rufescent or fawny brown, conspicuously tipped with white, and some of them with more or less of their basal portions white. Lower breast, abdomen, sides, flanks, and axillaries white ; each feather with one or two broad, more or less imperfect, pale rufous brown transverse bars; a trace of the same on some of the tibial plumes; rest of tibial plumes, feathers about and immediately above the vent, lower tail-coverts and wing-lining cream color, with a slight fawny tinge here and there and unbarred; the lower surface of the quills and tail strongly barred black and pale grey, more or less of the latter, becoming pure white towards the bases of the feathers. As will be seen, this specimen does not, so far as plumage is concerned, agree over well with Mr Legge’s deseription but looking to the locality where it was obtained, less than 500 miles north-west of the central hills of Ceylon, and in a hilly region which may be said to be a continuation of these latter, I can scarcely doubt but that it belongs to the same species. NOTES. 153 427.—Actinodura egertoni, Gould. In nis Paper on the Birds of the Khasia and North Cachar Hills, J. A. 8. B., XX XIX, Pt. 11, 105, 1870) Major Godwin- Austen referred to an FURREEDPORE, EASTERN BENGAL. 279 legs fleshy yellow ; claws ditto; bill yellow, like ivory ; gape light orange ; mouth, inside bright orange ; ovaries minute. Very common indeed, frequenting gardens and cultivation where parties of seven and eight may be seen hopping about the ground, feeding on insects. During the heat of the day they hunt about the branches of trees for insects that remain in the bark. On the 15th April I found a nest on the very top of a Mangoe tree about 30 feet off the ground, shooting the male as it flew off the nest. Three hard set eggs, of a deep greenish blue. Nest placed in a fork of twigs, the uppermost one, composed exclusively of ““doob” grass (Cynodon dactylon) very loosely put together with a thin lining of the same. It measured externally 8-inches in length by 5°5 in breadth and 3 in depth. Oval shaped ; egg cavity 4°5 K3:25 x2. 439.—Chatorhea earlei, Blyth. 2nd December 1877, Female.—Length, 9°85 ; expanse, 10-91 ; wing, 3°33 ; tail from vent, 4°83 ; tarsus, 1:25 ; bill from gape, 1:09; bill at front, 0°81; closed wings fall short of end of tail, 4°08. Irides bright yellow. 17th January 1878, Male.—Length, 10°15 ; expanse, 10°50; wing, 3°58 ; tail from vent, 5°20; tarsus, 1:33 ; bill from gape, 1:07; bill at front, 0°80; closed wings fall short of end of tail, 3:58. Very common, and a permanent resident, keeping to grass fields in small parties of seven to ten. Very noisy. On the 2nd December 1877 I found a nest with three slightly-incubated eggs in a small babool bush which stood in a “ Sun” grass field. The nest was adeep cup, whose foundation was a few leaves over which “ Sun” grass was woven rather loosely. Lining of fine grass roots. The nest was placed in amongst some coarse grass which grew up in the centre of the bush, and was three feet from the ground. External height, 4-inches ; diameter, 4°25; internal diameter, 2°5 ; depth, 2:5. Both Messrs. Marshall and Hume, in their works on “ Birds Nesting,” give March and Sep- tember as the two periods for these birds to lay, and the clutch I found may have been exceptionally late. 441—Cheetornis striatus, Jerdon. — 21st March 1878, Female.—Length, 8:42 ; expanse, 11:25 ; wing, 3°50; tail from vent, 4°08; tarsus, 1:20; bill from gape. 0°75 ; at front, 0°50; closed wings fall short of end of tail, 2°60, Trides light chocolate brown ; legs fleshy ; bill fleshy at base ; rest horny. Shot off nest, - 280 FIRST LIST OF THE BIRDS OF 4th April Female.—Length, 8°50; expanse, 11:25 ; wing, 3:50; tail from vent, 3°92; tarsus, 1°16; bill from gape, 0-75; at front, 0°50; closed wings fall short of end of tail, 2°66 ; weight 1:37 oz. Irides dark brown ; legs light purplish ; bill horny above, pale beneath. 12th May, Male.—Length, 8:10; expanse, 10°50 ; wing, 3°50 ; tail from vent, 3°66; tarsus, 1°16; bill from gape, 0°80; at front, 0°46 ; closed wings fall short of end of tail, 2°25 ; weight, 1:12 oz. Irides stone brown ; bill blackishhorny ; legs dark fleshy ; mouth, inside blackish. 93rd May, Male.—Length, 8:0; expanse, 11:25 ; wing, 3°50 ; tail from vent, 3°50 ; tarsus, 1°08; bill from gape, 0°80; at front, 0-5G ; closed wings fall short of end of tail, 2°0 ; weight, 1:12 oz. Trides pale earth brown; bill blackish brown; legs dusky in front, paling behind ; mouth inside black. Shot off nest with eggs. Very common in long grass fields. Permanent resident. It utters its soft notes while on the wing, not only in the cold season but the year through; it is very noisy during the breeding time. Breeds in clumps of grass a few inches above as well as on the ground. I found five nests in the month of May from 23rd to 28th; one was on the ground in a field of indigo; the rest were in clumps of “Sun” grass, in the same field and composed of this grass. One nest contained three half-fledged young, and the rest contained each four slightly incubated eggs. Although they nest in “ Sun ” grass, which is rarely over three feet in height, it is very difficult to find the nest, as the grass generally overhangs and hides it. Only when the bird rises almost from your feet are you able to discover the whereabouts. On several occasions I have noticed this species perching on bushes. 460.—Otocompsa emeria, Shaw. 7th February 1878, Female.—Length, 7°75; expanse, 10°50; wing, 2°16; tail from vent, 3°33; tarsus, 0°75 ; bill from gape, 0:75; at front, 0°50; closed wings fall short of end of tail, 2°25. Very common, and a permanent resident; it freely enters gardens and orchards. Inmy garden there was a Kaminee tree (Murraya exotica) in which I found a nest of this species on the 27th March in course of construction ; and on looking at it on the 12th April, found two young that had just been hatched. Cane brakes are favorite places for them to nestin. On the 6th May I found a nest in one of these about four feet off the ground, and containing three partly incubated eggs. This species does not, as a rule, build in such exposed situations as the next; it eats _ the fruit of jungly trees, /icws, §c., as well as insects. FURREEDPORE, EASTERN BENGAL. 281 461.—Molpastes pygeus, Hodgs. Excessively common and a permanent resident ; commits great havocin gardens amongst tomatoes and chillies, the red colour of which seems to attract it. Builds its nest in very exposed places and at all heights from two to thirty feet off the ground, in bushes and trees. One nest I saw containing two young ones, on the 28th June, was built ona small date tree which stood on the side of a road along which people were passing all day, and within six feet of it. The nest was only five feet from the ground, but the materials of which it was made and the colour of the bird assimilated so perfectly with the bark of the tree that detection was difficult. I have found the nests with eggs from the 3rd of April to the end of June; dead leaves and cobwebs were incorporated with the twigs and grasses in all nests which I have seen ; in Dacca the natives keep these birds for fighting purposes; large sums are lost at times on these combats. 468.—lora tiphia, Zin. 11th May 1878, Male.—Length, 5°58; expanse, 7°75; wing, 2°46; tail from vent, 2:0; tarsus, 0°75; bill from gape, 0-75; at front, 0°58; closed wings fall short of end of tail, 1°46; weight, 0°62 oz. Legs, feet and claws leaden blue ; irides whitey brown ; bill dull smalt blue, with the centre of upper-mandible black ; mouth, inside inky black. Showed signs of breeding. 10th June, Female.—Length, 5:80; expanse, 7°50; wing, 2°33; tail from vent, 2°33 ; tarsus, 0°70; bill from gape, 0°75 ; at front, 0°56; closed wings fall short of end of tail, 1:50; weight, 0°62 oz. Legs, pale plumbeous; irides greyish; bill plumbeous, except ridge, which is dark horny ; mouth, inside blue black. 10¢h June, Male.—Length, 5:42; expanse, 7°50; wing, 2°42 ; tail from vent, 2°12; tarsus, 0°68; bill from gape, 0°75; at front, 0°56 ; closed wings fall short of end of tail, 1:30; weight, 0°62 oz. Irides greyish brown; legs dark plumbeous; mouth, inside deep blue black; bill plumbeous; ridge dark horny. The above were a pair shot while going about my garden, and on dis- section showed signs of breeding; tail of this male tipped yellow. Very common, and a permanent resident; frequents gardens, orchards and hedgerows, and breeds in the district, although I failed to find the nest. I have never seen it descend to the ground ; lives on insects. 472.—Oriolus melanocephalus, Zin. 25th April 1878, Female.—Length, 8°58; expanse, 14°50; wing, 4-92 ; tail from vent, 3°29 ; tarsus, 0°83; bill from gape, 282 FIRST LIST OF THE BIRDS OF - 1:16; at front, 1:0; closed wings fall short of end of tail, 1:25; weight, 1:87 oz. Legs plumbeous; claws black; irides pinkish red; bill pinkish, slightly tinged with dusky. 25th April, Male.—Length, 8°83; expanse, 15-0; wing, 4-96; tail from vent, 3:30; tarsus, 0°83; bill from gape, 1:30; at front, 1:10; closed wings fall short of end of tail, 1:25 ; weight, 2°12 ozs. Irides pinkish red; legs plumbeous; bill pinkish, a good deal blotched with dusky ; tip dusky. The above couple were shot in company. . 19th May, Female.—Uength, 9:33; expanse, 16:0; wing, 5°16; tail from vent, 3°5 ; tarsus, 0°80; bill from gape, 1:27; © at front, 1:06; closed wings fall short of end of tail, 0-75, Irides blood red ; bill almost lake red; legs plumbeous; ovaries minute. 30¢h May, Male.—Wength, 9:50; expanse, 16:33; wing, 5°25 ; tail from vent, 3°50; tarsus, 0°92; bill from gape, 1°32 ; bill at front, 1:12; closed wings fall short of end of tail, 1:16 ; weight, 2°12 ozs. Irides blood red; legs plumbeous; bill pink; mouth, inside pinkish. Very common, and a permanent resident. On the 20th April I found a nest containing two half-fledged young ones; in the garden was a clump of mangoe trees, and attached to one of the outer twigs, but overhung by a lot of leaves and about 12 feet from the ground, hung the nest, of the usual type. 475.—Copsychus saularis, Lin. 5th April 1878, Male.—Length, 7:75; expanse, 11:25; wing, 3°75; tail from vent, 3°75; tarsus, 1°08; bill from gape, 1:0; at front, 0°70; closed wingsfall short of end of tail, 2°0; weight, 0°87 oz. Bill and legs black. Very common, and a permanent resident ; affects the haunts of man ; nests in cavities and holes in trees and holes in buildings. In the Dacca district I once saw a nest in a bunch of the “ Kuch- kela (Musa sapientum) ; two of the smaller bunches were about four inches apart, and in the cavity thus formed the bird had made its nest and reared three young; the nest was only seven feet from the ground. Another nest was placed in a hole in a date tree and was only three feet from the ground. Although they always build in holes, in every one they form a pad of fine grasses and roots with a tiny depression for the eggs, of which I have never come across more than four and sometimes only two ina nest; if the eggs are removed they lay again in the same nest. Ihave taken hard-set eggs as early as the 7th April in this district and up to the 15th June. FURREEDPORE, EASTERN BENGAL. 283 483.—Pratincola indica, Blyth. 24th March 1878, Male.—Length, 5:50; expanse, 8:25; wing, 2°58; tail from vent, 2°08 ; tarsus, 0°83; bill from gape, 0°56; at front, 0-40; closed wings fall short of end of tail, 1:0; weight, 0°37 oz. Bill and legs black. 11th April, female.—Length, 5°75; expanse, 8:25; wing, 2°60 ; tail from vent, 1:92; tarsus, 0°83; bill from gape, 0:72; at front, 0°36; closed wings fall short of end of tail, 0:90; weight, 0°5 oz. Bill and legs black. _ Common during the cold weather. Very shy ; keeping well out of range; frequents bushes in open plains and cultivated fields, but avoids forest and the vicinity of villages. The last one I saw this season was on the 17th April; it has a peculiar habit of jerking its tail up and down while perching on a twig. 497.—Ruticilla rufiventris, Viezlot, 16th March 1878, Male.—Length, 6:0; expanse, 10°37 ; wing, 3°37); tail from vent, 2°66; tarsus, 0°92; bill from gape, 0:66 ; at front, 0:42; closed wings fall short of end of tail, 0:92; weight, 0°62 oz. Mouth, inside yellow. Rather common in the cold weather; it affects gardens, hedgerows and cultivated fields. I have never heard it utter a note. 514.—Cyanecula suecica, Zin, 6th February 1878, Female.—Length, 5°50; expanse, 8°25 ; wing, 2°75; tail from vent, 2:0; tarsus, 1:04; bill from gape, 0:67 ; at front, 0:48; closed wings fall short of end of tail, 1°15 Very common in the cold weather when small parties are flushed from the rapeseed fields amongst which they are very fond of skulking. 516.—Acrocephalus dumetorum, Blyth. 22nd January 1878.—Length, 5°66; expanse, 6:50; wing, 2°42; tail from vent, 2°12 ; tarsus, 0°83; bill from gape, 0°66; at front, 0°46; closed wings fall short of end of tail, 1°10. Irides brown ; legs greenish brown ; lower bill whitish ; upper ditto horny. 25th March, Male.—Length, 5°75; expanse, 7:25 ; wing, 2°33; tail from vent, 2°16; tarsus, 0:90; bill from gape, -0°70; at front, 0°50; closed wings fall short of end of tail, 1:66; weight, 0°37 oz. Irides greenish brown ; legs horny ; bill dusky above, fleshy beneath. ; 13th April, Male.—Length, 5°92 ; expanse, 7°25 ; wing, 2°50; tail from vent, 2:08; tarsus, 0°87 ; bill from gape, 0°75; at 284 _ FIRST LIST OF THE BIRDS OF front, 0°47 ; closed wings fall short of end of tail, 1:08; weight, 0°37 oz. Irides light earthy brown; legs light horny; soles greenish ; bill above dusky, below fleshy; mouth, inside yellowish. 15th April, Male.—-Length, 5°75 ; expanse, 7°33 ; wing, 2°42 ; tail from vent, 2°08; tarsus, 0°74; bill from gape, 0°62 ; at front, 0°42; closed wings fall short of end of tail, 1-40; weight, 0°37 oz. Inrides earthy brown ; legs dusky ; bill dusky ; base below, fleshy ; mouth, inside light orange yellow. Far from rare. Shot off trees as well as low garden hedges ; has a call something like C. saularis, but considerably weaker. Cold weather visitant. 520.—Locustella hendersoni, Cass. (v. 8S. F., VI, 342.) 21st March 1878.—Length, 5°25; expanse, 6°25; wing, 2°08 ; tail from vent, 2°08; tarsus, 0°58 ; bill from gape, 0°54; at front, 0°42 ; closed wings fall short of end of tail, 1:42; weight, 0°37 0z. Bill, above horny ; base below, yellow; legs pale fleshy ; irides buff. The first primary only is notched ; second quill longest. I came across half a dozen birds one morning while they were sporting about amongst some tamarisk bushes on a chur, and got only one specimen. I never saw them again. 530.—Orthotomus sutorius, G. R. Forster. 30th March 1878, Male.—Length, 4°50 ; expanse, 5:25 ; wings 1:66; tail from vent, 1-75 ; tarsus, 0°80; bill from gape, 0°70; at front, 0°54; closed wings fall short of end of tail, 1:25 ; weight, 0°37 oz. Irides red brown ; legs fleshy ; bill, base bluish; rest dusky. Very common, and a permanent resident. Frequents gardens and hedges, as well as high trees. I have frequently found the nests, which they build at various heights from the ground ; one I came across was built in a species of dock plant, and only one foot from the ground. They lay in May and June, two to three eggs in each nest. During the cold weather I have never seen any of the long-tailed birds. Do these birds drop the long feathers during those months? 539.—Cisticola cursitans, Frankl. 14th March 1878, Male.—Length, 4:75 ; expanse, 6:25 ; wing, 2'0 ; tail from vent, 1°83; tarsus, 0°75; bill from gape, 0°50; at front, 0°32; closed wings fall short of end of tail, 1°58. Ivides light brown ; legs fleshy. FURREEDPORE, EASTERN BENGAL. 285 3rd June 1878, Female.—Length, 4°83 ; expanse, 5:50; wing, 1:86 ; tail from vent, 1°33 ; tarsus, 0°70 ; bill fram gape, 0°56; at front, 0°37; closed wings fall short of end of tail, 0:80; weight, 0°25 oz. Legs fleshy; bill above dusky, rest pinkish ; mouth inside fleshy. Shot off nest with five slightly incubated egos ; nests found only in Sun grass fields. Very common, and a permanent resident. Eggs are found from the beginning of May to the end of June, in grass jungle almost on the ground. The nest is a deep cup externally of fine grasses, internally of the downy tops of the Sun grass. Its flight is very well described by Mr. Davison in Stray Fra- TtHERS, Vol. VI, p. 349. 543.—Drymoeca inornata, Sykes. 28th May 1878, Male.—Length, 5:16 ; expanse, 6:0 ; wing, 2-0 ; tail from vent, 2°60; tarsus, 0°80; bill from gape, 0°58; at front, 0°42; closed wings fall short of end of tail, 1°75; weight, 0°37 oz. Legs fleshy yellow; claws light horny ; bill horny, bluish at base of lower mandible ; mouth, inside black ; eyelids dusky orange ; irides ditto. 25th May, Male.—Length, 5:0; wing, 1-90 ; tail from vent, 2°16 ; tarsus, 0°75 ; bill from gape, 0°62 ; at front, 0°48; closed wings fall short of end of tail, 1°50 ; weight, 0°37 oz. Irides dark amber ; legs fleshy yellow; bill black ; mouth, inside black. 14th June, Male, juv—lLength, 4°80; expanse, 5°50; wing, 1:83 ; tail from vent, 2°08 ; tarsus, 0°75 ; bill from gape, 0°56 ; at front, 0°36 ; closed wings fall short of end of tail, 1:16 ; weight, 0-25 oz. Irides light brown; legs pale yellowish fleshy; bill horny ; base fleshy ; mouth, inside pale fleshy. Pretty common in grass lands. From dissection it appeared they breed in June and July. The generative organs of No. 3 were minute, and the mouth inside fleshy, whereas the other two whose organs were large had the mouth black. This species can readily be distinguished in the jungles it affects by its white breast. 559.—Phylloscopus fuscatus, Blyth. 3rd April 1878.—Length, 5:0; expanse, 6°92 ; wing, 2°42 ; tail from vent, 2°16; tarsus, 0°83; bill from gape, 0°58; at front, 0:40 ; closed wings fall short of end of tail, 1:0; weight, 0°37 oz. Irides dark brown; legs dusky fleshy ; bill yellowish at base, rest dusky ; mouth, inside light yellow. Tolerably common, frequenting gardens, hedges and thin jungle on the borders of “ beels.”” I have never heard it utter any note. 37 286 FIRST LIST OF THE BIRDS OF 556.—Phylloscopus magnirostris, Blyth. 25th April 1878.—Length, 5-33 ; expanse, 7°75 ; wing, 2°75 ; tail from vent, 2°12; tarsus, 0°75; bill from gape, 0°65: at front, 0°42 ; closed wings fall short of end of tail, 1:08 ; weight, 0-37 oz. Irides earth brown ; legs carneous; claws and feet yel- lowish white ; bill horny. The only one I saw ; it was hopping about a babool treein my garden, and uttering a soft twittering note. 560.—Phylloscopus viridanus, Blyth. 13th April 1878, Male.—Length, 5:0; expanse, 7:0 ; wing, 92°42 ; tail from vent, 2°0; tarsus, 0°66; bill from gape, 0°50; at front, 0°33; closed wings fall short of end of tail, 0-33 ; weight, 0°25 oz. Irides dark brown; legs dusky; soles of eet greenish ; bill above horny, below dusky yellow. 13th January.—Length, 4:59; expanse, 6°25; wing, 2°33 ; tail from vent, 1°91; tarsus, 0°75; bill from gape, 0°50; at front, 0:32; closed wings fall short of end of tail, 0°81. At the back of my factory was a long avenue of babool trees, which afforded a favorite haunt for this species. They are far from rare, but are only cold weather visitants. 5917s.—Motacilla dukhunensis, Sykes. 19th March 1878, Female.—Length, 7°90; expanse, 10°50; wing, 3°50; tail from vent, 3°75 ; tarsus, 1:0; bill from gape, 0:66; at front, 0°50; closed wings fall short of end of tail, 2-0; weight, 0°85 oz. Bill and legs black. 27th March, Male-—lLength, 8:25; expanse, 11:25; wing, 3°58; tail from vent, 4°0; tarsus, 1:0; bill from gape, 0°70; at front, 0°42; closed wings fall short of end of tail, 2°58 ; weight 0-9 oz. Common during the cold weather. Very fearless, feeding about houses and road sides. 593ter.—Budytes cinereocapilla, Sav. Ath April 1878, Male——Length, 6:50; expanse, 8°75 ; wing, 2°92 ; tail from vent, 2°75; tarsus, 0°92; bill from gape, 0°60; at front, 0:42; closed wings fall short of end of tail, 1:66 ; weight, 0°62 oz. Legs black; irides dark brown; bill, base, below pale, rest black. Common during the cold weather when it is found in open fields, especially when there is rank “ doob” grass ; numbers are also to be seen hovering round cattle which are grazing, busily capturing the insects that are put up. FURREEDPORE, EASTERN BENGAL. 287 593quat.—Budytes flava, Lun. Ath February 1878, Female.—Length, 6°66 ; expanse, 9°50 ; wing, 3°0 ; tail from vent, 2°80 ; tarsus, 0°90; bill from gape, 0°62; at front, 0°45; closed wings fall short of end of tail, 1:75. Bill and legs black. 19th March, Female.—Length, 6°66; expanse, 8°50 ; wing, 2°92 ; tail from vent, 2°75 ; tarsus, 0°92; bill from gape, 0°64; at front, 0°44; closed wings fall short of end of tail, 1-50; weight, 0°62 oz. 4th April 1878, Female.—Length, 7:50; expanse, 9:0; wing, 30 ; tail from vent, 2°83 ; tarsus, 0°92 ; bill from gape, 0°60; at front, 0°44; closed wings fall short of end of tail, 1°66 ; weight, 0°62 oz. Legs black; basal portion of lower mandible bluish; rest of bill black ; irides dark brown. Common in the cold weather. Very partial to paddy fields that are damp, where it associates with the next species. 594b:s-—Budytes citreola, Pallas. 23rd January 1878.—Length, 7°25; expanse, 9°50; wing, 3°38 ; tail from vent, 3°33 ; tarsus, 1:0 ; bill from gape, 0°71; at front, 0°50; closed wings fall short of end of tail, 2°25. 22nd March, Female.—Length, 7:08; expanse, 10:0; wing, 3:16 ; tail from vent, 3°16; tarsus, 0°90; bill from gape, 0°70; at front, 0°56; closed wings fall short of end of tail, 2:0; weight, 0°62 oz. 8th April, Male.—Length, 7:58; expanse, 10:25; wing, 3°33; tail from vent, 3:50; tarsus, 1:0 ; bill from gape, 0°70; at front, 0°50; closed wings fall short of end of tail, 2:0; weight, 0°75 oz. Very common during the cold weather, frequenting open plains and cultivated fields. 596.—Anthus maculatus, Hodgs. 18th March 1878, Male.——Length, 6°58; expanse, 9°50; wing, 3°25 ; tail from vent, 2°75 ; tarsus, 0°80; bill from gape, 0°64; at front, 0-42; closed wings fall short of end of tail, 1:58; weight, 0°87 oz. 13th April, Female.—Length, 658; expanse, 10°10; wing, 3°16; tail from vent, 2°58; tarsus, 0°80; bill from gape, 0°60; at front, 0°42; closed wings fall short of end of tail, 1:50; weight, 0°870z. Legs fleshy ; bill, above horny, below fleshy. Very common in the cold weather. Frequents shady places, where it feeds on the ground on insects, &c. At the sign of any one approaching they fly up into the trees; they keep together 288 FIRST LI8T OF THE BIRDS OF in small parties. The last bird I saw this season was on the 21st April. 597.—Anthus trivialis, Liz. 1s¢ March 1878, Female.—Length, 6°20; expanse, 10-25; wing, 3°16; tail, 2°45; tarsus, 0°82; bill from gape, 0°58; weight, 0°75 oz. I did not distinguish this species from the last. 599.—Corydalla richardi, 7ieiil. 6th February 1878, Male—Length, 7°75; expanse, 12°25 ; wing, 3°66; tail from vent, 3°10; tarsus, 1:16; bill from gape, 0°83; atfront, 0°56; closed wings fall short of end of tail, 2°0; hind claw, 0°62. Ath March, Female.—Length, 8:16; expanse, 12:0; wing, 3°50; tail from vent, 3°08 ; tarsus, 1:16; bill from gape, 0° 863 at front, 0°56; closed wings fall short of end of tail, 2:0; hind claw, 0:70; weight, 1 oz. Ath March, Female. —Lensth, 8-0 ; expanse, 12°20; wing, 3°75; tail ont vent, 30; tarsus, 1:25; bill from gape, 0: 82: at froné, 0°52; cloned wings fall shor of end of tail, 1°83; hind Alene 0: 83; weight, 1 12 oz. 26th April, Male. —tLength, 8°0 ; expanse, 11°50; wing, 3°75 ; tail from vent, 3°25 5 tarsus, 1-16; bill from gape, 0°76; at front, 0°55 ; closed wings fall short of end of tail, 1:92; weight, 1:12 oz. rides brown; legs fleshy yellow; bill “dusky ; : base of lower mandible yellowish ; mouth, inside yellowish. _ Common in the cold weather, frequenting fields of peas, lin- seed, &c. Rather shy. I have not noticed them associating in gmail flocks at the end of the cold weather as stated by Davi- son in 8. F., Vol. VI., p. 365. 600.—Corydalla rufula, Vieillot. 4th March 1878, Male.—Length, 6:42; wing, 3:08; tail from vent, 2°33; tarsus, 1:0; bill from gape, 0°68 ; at front, 0:50 ; closed wings fall short of end of tail, 1:33; hind claw, 0:42 ; weight, 0°750z. Legs dusky yellow ; joints darker ; bill above dusky, below yellowish. Common, and a permanent resident. Found in high eultivated fields and paddy fields. Breeds during April and May under tufts of grass, on the sides of embankments, &c. The nest is made of fine grasses, cup shaped ; very often a hollow is taken advantage of, and this the bird fills neatly with grass. Some birds os éven in June. | FURREEDPORE, EASTERN BENGAL. 289 660.—*Corvus macrorhynchus, Wagler. Common, and a permanent resident. Occasionally found in the clumps of jungle that are found about the country, which the next species never affects. Breeds in the cold weather. I had noticed a pair building on a Casuarina tree in my garden, about 50 feet off the grouad, and on the 18th December 1877 I took two perfectly fresh eges from it; and again on the 9th January 1878 I found two callow young in this same nest, the birds never having deserted it. The lining used for this nest was principally jute fibre—any tree is selected to build on—the nests are placed from 15 to 50 feet off the ground. Some nests are very well concealed, whereas others are quite exposed. On the idth January I found a nest about 15 feet up a small Kudum tree, standing in a large plain, and which had a lining of hair from the tail tufts of cows. There was one fresh egg, and a week later I got another fresh egg from this very nest. From two to four eggs are in each nest, 663.—* Corvus splendens, /reil/. Very common, and a permanent resident, affecting the haunts of man. They build and lay in May. The Koel lays its eggs in this bird’s nest. In April 1876 I saw two nests, in the compound of the house in which I live at Howrah, which were made entirely of galvanised wire,* the thickest piece of which was as thick as a slate pencil. How the birds managed to bend these thick pieces of wire was a marvel to us; not a stick was incorporated with the wires, and the lining of the nest (which was of the ordinary size) was jute anda few feathers. The Railway goods yard, which was alongside the house, supplied the wire, of which there was ever so much lying about there. 674.—Dendrocitta rufa, Lath. 23rd May 1878, Female.—Length, 16:0; expanse, 18:25 ; wing, 5°66 ; tail from vent, 8°75; tarsus, 1:16; bill from gape, 1:20 ; at front, 1:08; closed wings fall short of end of tail, 7:0; weight, 3°75 ozs. Irides bright chocolate; legs horny in front, plumbeous behind; claws horny ; orbits livid ; bill, base, and gape light plumbeous; rest, dark horny; mouth, inside bluish black ; ovaries minute. * Many years ago Blyth had a crow’s nest sent him, which was composed entirely of fine wire that had been used for wiring soda water bottles, but these nests . composed of comparatively thick wire, some of it about 6 or 6 guage, and some of the pieces so heavy you would hardly think a crow could fly off with them, are far more wouderful.—Ep., 8, F, 290 EIRST LIST OF THE BIRDS OF 30th May, Mate.—Length, 16:0 ; expanse, 18°50 ; wing, 5:75 ; tail from vent, 9°33; tarsus, 1°25; bill from gape, 1:30; at front, 1:20; closed wings fall short of end of tail, 7:33 ; weight, 4:25 ozs. Irides rich red brown ; legs horny ; soles greenish yel- low ; bill bluish black, paler at gape; mouth, inside bluish black ; claws horny. Common, and a permanent resident. It hunts about trees, bushes, and standing crops of jute and sugarcane, even entering gardens in search of its food, and I have seen it frequently enter a bungalow verandah, and from the chinks in the mat walls take away bats, which they devour greedily. I have never seen it eat fruit. In June I came across a nest in course of construction ; it was high up on the topmost branches of a mangoe tree, one of a clump, but it was eventually deserted. 683.—Sturnopastor contra, Lin. 25th May 1878, Male.—Length, 9:25; expanse, 15:50; wing, 4°75; tail from vent, 3:0 ; tarsus, 1:16; bill from gape, 1:50, at front, 1:12; closed wings fall short of end of tail, 1:17; weight, 3:12 ozs. Orbits bright orange; bill at base fine red ; terminal half yellowish white; legs dull ivory white. 8th June, Male.—Length, 9:08 ; expanse, 15:0; wing, 4:60; tail from vent, 3; tarsus, 1:25; bill from gape, 1:50; at front, 1°12; closed wings fall short of end of tail, 1:75; weight,: 3 ozs. Irides yellowish white ; orbital skin orange; legs yellowish white; claws light horny; bill, basal half deep orange, rest white ; mouth, inside black. Very common, and a permanent resident. They eat fruit as well as insects. Lay in May and June, building their huge nests at various heights from the ground, and in any tree that comes handy. I have often found the nests lined with the white feathers of the paddy birds; some of the feathers being as much as six and seven inches in length. The nests were composed principally of “ doob” grass; three to four eggs in each nest. : 684.— *Acridotheres tristis, Liz. Very common, and a permanent resident. Never found away from the villages. Builds in holes of trees and buildings. Laying four to five bluish eggs ; lay from May to July. If the first clutch of eggs are taken away, they lay again. In my verandah a pair had reared a young one, and on three occasions I saw one of the parent birds bring small frogs, about 24 inches extreme length, to feed the young one. The parent bird would fly in and out several times with the frogs, and when convinced that they FURREEDPORE, EASTERN BENGAL. 291 were too big for the young one to swallow, it would dash them about on the masonry floor until the limbs were severed, when the birds would be fed piece by piece. It is astonishing what numbers of grasshoppers and caterpillars a young Mynah can swallow in a day. I have known this species to use bits of snake skin for the lining of its nest. 685.—Acridotheres ginginianus, Lath. Males.—Length, 9:9 and 9°25 ; expanse, 15:0 and 15-75; wing, 4°66 and 4°75 ; tail from vent, 2°80 and 2°83; tarsus, 1°33 and 1:42; bill from gape, 1°30; at front, 0°75 ; closed wings fall short of end of tail, 1°33 and 1:50; weight, 2°87 ozs. Legs dull orange; feet and claws dull yellow; irides red ; naked skin round eye dull red ; mouth, inside fleshy; bill orange; tip pale. Females.—Expanse, 14°60 and 15:0; wing, 4°54 and 4:60; tail from vent, 2°33 and 2°42 ; tarsus, 1:20 and 1°37 ; bill from gape, 116 to 1:20; at front 0-72 and 0°75; closed wings fall short of end of tail, 1:16 and 1:25 ; weight, 2°75 to 2°87 ozs. Bill, &e., same as in the male. Excessively common. The majority leave the district during the cold weather. They feed in flocks, often accompanying graz- ing cattle, capturing the insects that are disturbed by the herd pushing through the grass. Breeds in the high perpendicular banks of rivers in colonies. The tunnel is from two to four feet in depth, and terminates in a small chamber which occasionally has an apology of a lining of feathers and bits of snake skins. The tunnels sometimes lead into one another. From two to five eggs are found in each nest. 686.—Acridotheres fuscus, Wag. Males.—Length, 9°58 and 10; expanse, 14°50 and 15:25 ; wing, 4°66 and 4°75; tail from vent, 3° and 3°08; tarsus, 1:42 and 1°45; bill from gape, 1°25; at front, 0'58 and 0°86 ; closed wings fall short of end of tail, 2°87 and 38:25. Trides yellow ; legs orange ; bill yellow and orange; mouth, inside inky black. Female.—Length, 9:83; expanse, 14°10: wing, 4:58; tail from vent, 2°75 ; tarsus, 1°36; bill from gape, 1:30; at front 0°83; closed wings fall short of end of tail, 1:53. Bill, &c., same as in the male. Pretty common, and a permanent resident. This species asso- ciates with A. tristis, but is seen on trees well away from villages which the latter rarely is. Prefers well-wooded country. On the 29th June 1877 I found a nest in a hole of a “ Bukain” (Melia sempervirens) tree, about 12 feet off the ground. The diameter of the entrance hole was two and a half inches, and inside it widened 292 FIRST LIST OF THE BIRDS OF to six inches in breadth and about twenty inches in depth. The nest was a mere pad of grass and feathers, on which rested four very slightly incubated eggs. Later on the 17th Jaly, seeing the hole still oceupied, I again sent up a boy who found four more fresh eggs in it. The tree formed one of an avenue, lead- ing from the house to the vats, and as men were always going along the road, it rather surprised me to find these birds laying there. The hole had been caused by the heart of the tree rotting. 688.—*Temenuchus malabaricus, Gmet. Very common from the end of April to October, after which a few birds may be seen at times. I cannot call to mind ever having seen these birds descend to the ground. They must breed here, though I failed to find anest. In front of my verandah was a large “ Poinciana regia” tree, in the trunk of which, and at about seven feet from the ground, was an old nest hole of Xantholema, which a pair of these birds widened out. During all May and June I watched these birds pecking away at the rotten wood and throwing the bits out. They generally used to en- gage in this work during the heat of the day ; and, although I several times searched the hole, no eggs were found, the pair were not pecking at the decayed wood for insects, for I watched them through a glass; had I remained another month at the factory most likely they would have laid during that time; it was on this account their lives were spared. This species associates with its congeners on the Peepul trees when they are in fruit, which latter they eat greedily. 694.—*Ploceus baya, Blyth. Excessively common, and a permanent resident, very des- tructive to the paddy crops when in the ear. In the cold wea- ther the males drop the yellow crown. Builds in all kinds of trees and at various heights from the ground. It breeds from May to August. I have, on several occasions, found a second nest commenced from the bottom of the tube of an old one, the upper nest being useless as the passage is closed up. They lay from two to five eggs, and very often only a single young one isfound. I unfortunately preserved no specimens, and this may have been P. philippinus. I did not then understand the differences between the two species which have now been made clear by the Editor. (vide 8. F., VI., 398.) 695.—Ploceus manyar, Horsfield. Very common. I cannot say whether this species is a per- manent resident or not. At the commencement of May I FURREEDPORE, EASTERN BENGAL. 293 have first noticed the Black-breasted Weaver Bird, and this species, frequenting the grassy churs of the district. At the beginning of July these birds commence to build their nests in small colonies, on the long grass clumps and bushes wherever these are standing in water. The nest is quite distinct from that of P. baya tor which it can never be mistaken. It is a shorter thicker nest than that of baya, built of the same materials and generally with only an apology of a tube. The eges are laid in July and August, and are from two to five in each nest. 696.—Ploceus bengalensis, Zin. 18th June 1878.—Shot the pair and took the nest with one fresh ege, all of which I sent to the Editor, 8. F., for identifica- tion, From the oviduct of the female another fully formed, but soft, egg was taken. In front of my house was a small river, which, at this time of the year, had several deep pools at intervals along the bed. The public road ran parallel with the river, the bank of which in one place was about 15 feet high and overlook- ing one of these pools of water. This sloping bank was covered with brushwood jungle about four feet high, and in one of the bushes this nest was placed. Several twigs had been bent down and incorporated with the roof of the nest, which had no lining. It was about three feet off the ground. The female flew off the nest and was shot, and the male on coming back from feeding was also shot while sitting on the nest. I failed to find any more of their nests ; the one found wasthe only nest in that clump; no P. baya ever was near the place. 698.—*Munia rubronigra, Hodgs. 699.—*Munia punctulata, Lin. No where common, but during the rainy season a few pairs of both species are seen about the hedgerows and cultivated fields ; they breed here, as I have on several occasions seen their nests in mangoe trees and bushes, in June to August; they lay from five to seveneggs in each nest; they go about in pairs, and are very fearless, entering even gardens, 703.—Munia malabarica, Lin. 24th April 1878, Male.—Length, 4°83 ; expanse, 6°58 ; wing, 2:10 ; tailfrom vent, 1°92; tarsus, 0°56; bill from gape, 0-42 ; at front, 0°39; closed wings fall short of end of tail, 1:42 ; weight 0°66 oz. Bill plumbeous ; legs livid carneous, Common, and a permanent resident ; goes about in small parties of from five to fifteen in number ; frequents the same 38 294 : FIRST LIST OF THE BIRDS OF — places as the two last species. This species is often seen feeding on the road like Passer. Builds a large globular nest, sometimes hich up in a Mangoe tree, and at others on low thorny bushes ; they lay six and seven eggs during July and August. 704.—*Estrilda amandava, Lin. On the 19th April 1878 I came across a small party of this species, in which there were only four birds in the adult male plumage, the rest (eight birds) being brownish. I shot one and tried to carbolize it, but failed ; these birds were flying from — clump to clump of Sun grass that grew on the divisions of some fields of rapeseed. I never again noticed the species. 706.—Passer indicus, Jard. and Selb. Excessively common, and as great a nuisance as it is in other parts of the country; every village affords shelter to scores of them. From February to June are the months during which they breed. 754.—Mirafra assamica, McClell. Q1st March 1878, Nestling Male.—Length, 5°50; expanse, 7°50 ; wing, 2°16 ; tail from vent, 0°66 ; tarsus, 0°92 ; bill from gape, 0°58 ; bill at front, 0-33; closed wings fall short of end of tail, 0°37; weight, 0°5 oz. Irides brown; legs fleshy ; bill fleshy; tip dusky. Nestling which had evidently just left the nest; there were two, which I found trying to sneak away through the doob grass on a chur, while I was out shooting one day. 23rd March 1878, Female.—Length, 6°50 ; expanse, 9°50 ; wing, 2°92; tail from vent, 1°77; tarsus, 0°92; bill from gape, 0°66 ; bill at front, 0°53 ; closed wings fall short of end of tail, 1:16 ; weight, 1 oz. legs fleshy brown ; irides hazel brown ; bill, above horny, below whitish. Shot off nest with egos. Very common and a permanent resident; found in open plains and cultivated fields, and also on the public roads, I have repeatedly found their eggs. On the 23rd March the female above mentioned flew past me with a straw in her bill and settled in the dry bed of a tank. On my going up to the spot she flew off the nest and was shot. The nest, the lower half of which rested in a small hollow, was a domed structure of “Sun” and ‘ Doob” grass roots with a lining of very fine roots of those grasses ; there were also some lumps of matted fur like that of the rat in the nest; the entrance was at the side ; there were two fresh eggs ; the whole thing was very artfully FURREEDPORE, EASTERN BENGAL. 295 concealed. I found another nest in an indigo field, which was partially overhung by a tuft of grass, but which was only a pad of grass roots and contained four fresheggs. Ishot the female as she flew off. This was on the 22nd June—the breed- ing time is from the beginning of March to the 15th July. These birds are a favorite quarry of the Turumtee (F. chiquera) ? 760.—Pyrrhulauda grisea, Scop. 26th April 1878, Female.—Length, 4°89 ; expanse, 8°75; wing, 2°93 ; tail from vent, 1°66 ; tarsus, 0°66 ; bill from gape, 0°48 ; at front, 0°42; closed wings fall short of end of tail, 0°58; weight, 0°62 oz. Legs fleshy; irides dark brown ; bill fleshy, tinged dusky. Shot off nest, with eggs, Pretty common. I have not noticed it from November to February, and am of opinion that it leaves the district during those months ; its habits, &c., are well described by Jerdon. I once found its nest in the dry bed of the river that was in front of my house; it was on the 26th April 1878; the nest was a tiny cup-shaped affair of fine grass roots which were firmly held together by damp sand, so much so that on taking it up it appeared like a ball cut in two ; it contained two fresh eggs ; there was not even a small tuft of grass anywhere near where the nest was; only some tamarisk shoots above and shading it. The sand was the fine grey sand one finds in such places. The ground was always damp where the nest was, and this latter was so placed that Ido not think the sun could ever reach it. I fancy the sand had blown in amongst the grass roots. I had the nest for a long time, but it gradually dried and all the sand fell out of it. 762.—Alaudula raytal, Blyth. 24th March 1878, Male.—Length, 5°66 ; expanse, 9°50 ; wing, 3°25; tail from vent, 2°10; tarsus, 0°75; hill from gape, 0°66; at front, 0°50; closed wings fall short of end of tail, 0°66; weight, 0°62 0z. Bill, horny above, bluish white be- neath ; legs fleshy ; irides brown. Common on the large sandy churs of all the big rivers ; how the bird exists in summer on the bare white sand during the heat of the day is a wonder. I found a nest on a chur on the 9th April. The rain water trickling over alow bank had formed a small hollow, which was cverhung by a ledge of earth; in this hollow was a nest composed of fine grasses with a few feathers stuck about it ; the nest was adeep cup and measured externally three inches in diameter, and two inches deep ; inside two inches broad, and one inch deep ; there were two fresh eggs, I came back 296 FIRST LIST OF THE BIRDS OF the next day and found another egg had been laid. I brought the nest, &c., away for fear of the eggs being eaten by any bird, so am unable to say if they lay more than that number of eggs. 772.—Crocopus pheenicopterus, Lath. Males.—Length, 13°25 to 18°75; expanse, 21°25 to 23:0 ; wing, 7°0 to 7:33 ; tail from vent, 4:92 to 5:0; tarsus, 1:0 to 1:08; bill from gape, 1:08 to 0:94; at front, 0°80 to 0°75 ; closed wings fall short of end of tail, 1°75 to 2°50; weight, 9 to 10 ozs. Legs orange yellow ; bill whitish ; cere greenish. Females.—Length, 12° to 13:16; expanse, 21° to 22°62 ; wing, 6°75 to 7°25 ; tail from vent, 4°25 to 4°83; tarsus, 1- to 1:08 ; bill from gape, 0°92 to 1:0; at front, 0°71 to 0°75 ; closed wings fall short of end of tail, 1°60 to 2:0 ; weight, 7 to 9ozs. Legs yellow ; bill whitish; cere greenish. Common, and a permanent resident ; they breed in June, but I failed to find the nest. This species is strictly frugivorous; the natives say that whenever this bird descends to the water’s edge for a drink it holds a twig in its claws ; it prides itself on living altogether on trees, and in order that it may not be accused of perching on the ground when it descends to drink, it brings down with it a twig to stand upon! 788.—Columba intermedia, Strick. Very common indeed ; all over the district the ruins of indigo factories are scattered about, and these and the temples afford roosting places for these birds; they build in these ruins prin- cipally in May and June. On several occasions I have noticed them alight on trees and bamboos. The natives of these parts do not venerate this bird as they do in the North-West. 788 bis.—Columba livia, Bonap. 25th January 1878, Male.—Length, 13°75 ; expanse, 25-0 ; wing, 8°70 ; tail, 5-0 ; tarsus, 1:0; bill from gape, 1-0 ; closed wings equal end of tail. Legs light pink ; claws black ; bill | black; irides brick red with an inner circle of yellowish’ white; eyelids light bluish. I have seen about half a dozen birds of this species during my stay in the district ; they were single individuals in amongst flocks of intermedia. : ie 793.—*Turtur meena, Sykes. On the 3rd of August 1877, I saw three birds fly past me which I identified as this species; having seen numbers in Sylhet I FURREEDPORE, EASTERN BENGAL. . 297 know the bird well; there is no other kind of Dove except 7. rupicola for which I could mistake it ; its great size prevents a person confounding 7. suratensis with it. I never again saw any in Furreedpore. 795.—*Turtur suratensis, Gmel. Excessively common, anda permanent resident. In several instances I have found its nests well concealed in cane brakes and bushes ; the majority of nests, however, are well exposed to view on bushes, bamboo clumps and small trees, and never at any great height from the ground. It is a wonder how they ever rear any young ones, considering how low and exposed the nests generally are. From November to May seems to be the favorite time here for laying ; never more than two eggs in a nest, nor have I seen a nest used for a second clutch. 796.—Turtur risoria, Zin. 28th May 1878, Female.—Length, 12°25; expanse, 19°75; wing, 6:25; tail from vent, 5°16; tarsus, 1:0; bill from gape, 0°85; at front, 0°65 ; closed wings fall short of end of tail, 2°50; weight, 6°25 oz. Irides blood red; legs dull lake; bill black ; orbital skin bluish white; gape bluish. 14th May, Male.—Length, 12°33; expanse, 20:0; wing, 6°50; tail from vent, 5°50; tarsus, 0°85; bill from gape, 0°83; at front, 0°58; closed wings fall short of end of tail, 2:25; weight, 6°12 ozs. Legs livid purple; bill blackish; irides reddish. Excessively common and a permanent resident. The birds of the year have the back of a deep vinous grey. This spe- cies breeds from December to July in small bushes and trees at from 6 to 12 feet from the ground in very exposed situations ; the nest is a mere apology of twigs, and never contains more than two eggs ; when the crops are being sown here this species congregates in small flocks of 10 to 30. I once shot one of these birds while it was flying past amongst a flock of “ Blue Rock” Pigeons. 797.—Turtur tranquebarica, Herm. 8th May 1878, Male.—Length, 9°42; expanse, 16:0; wing, 5:25; tail from vent, 3°42; tarsus, 0°80; bill from gape, 0°81 ; at front, 0°58; closed wings fall short of end of tail, 1:16; weight, 3°5 oZs. Legs horny black; bill black; irides brown. Far from common; frequents woods more than either of the other two preceding species. I have seen them all the year round, but only in pairs, On the 10th June 1878 I saw a_ nest 298 _. FIRST LIST OF THE BIRDS OF in course of construction ; it was built in the centre of a clump of bamboos near a ryot’s house and about 10 feet off the ground ; the birds deserted it eventually. 798.—*Chalcophaps indiea, Lz. Rare ; for during the year I only saw four pairs. . I shot one on the 17th July 1878, from off a bamboo clump, but it was too cut up to be skinned ; frequents shady places in dense clumps of trees and bamboos. I have often mistaken the note of this bird for that of the Malkoha. 829.—Coturnix communis, Bonn. Males.—Expanse, 13°50 to 14:0; wing, 4:10 to 4:16; tail, 1:58 to 1:91; tarsus, 1:0 to 1°08 ; bill from gape, 0°58 to 0°66; closed wings fall short of end of tail, 0°92 to 0:50; weight, 3°62 to 3°87 ozs. Females. —Expanse, 13° to 14; wing, 4°08 to 4°33; tail, 1:58 to 1:74; tarsus, 0°92 to I: 08 ; bill from gape, 0-61 to 0:65 ; closed wings fall short of end of tail, 0°42 to 0:90; weight, 3°62 to 4 "62 ozs. Gunmen in the cold weather, when they are to be found singly, in pairs, and small coveys in fields of indigo, rapeseed, and such like crops. Just before sunrise very nice shooting can be had by walking along the small “bunds” of these fields, as the birds at that time lie along the sides of these, and it is not till about an hour after sunrise that they disperse amongst the standing crops to feed. 830.—Coturnix coromandelica, Gimel. 12th March 1878, Female.—Uxpanse, 10°83 ; wing, 3°60; tail from vent, 1:42; tarsus, 0°92; bill from gape, 058; at front, 0°46; closed wings fall short of end of tail, 0°50; weight, 2°37 ozs. Pretty common ; it affects the same situations as the last, and being so very like the Grey Quail is often overlooked. 835.—*Turnix dussumieri, Tem. Common, but from its retiring habits difficult to procure. One of my syces when cutting grass in an indigo field, caught an adult bird, and to prevent. its flying away the idiot pulled off every feather from the wings, and when I got the bird the bare skin was only left on the wings. When feeding it one day my servant let it go. When going through “ Sun” grass fields this bird is often flushed. FURREEDPORE, EASTERN BENGAL. 299 $43.—*Glareola lactea, Zemm. This species is rather common; frequents the large sandy churs along the course of the main rivers, though I have shot them at dusk hawking insects from a “ beel.’? On going over my collection of birds I find that no specimens have been preserved. 845.—Charadrius fulvus, Gel. 2nd March 1878, Female—Expanse, 20°75; wing, 6:20; tail, 2°42; tarsus, 1°58; bill from gape, 1:08; at front, 0-91; closed wings exceed end of tail, 0°25; weight, 3°87 ozs. 9th May, Male.—Expanse, 20°25; wing, 6°30; tail, 2°0; tarsus, 1°66; bill from gape, 1:08; at front, 0:92; closed wings exceed end of tail, 0°33 ; weight, 4°87 ozs. Bill black ; legs leaden ; irides brown. Tais specimen isin full breeding plumage. Very common during the cold weather, keeping to open plains and ploughed fields in small parties. The first bird of the season I noticed on the 16th August 1877, and the last were observed on the 10th May 1878. During April, and until they leave the country, they congregate in large flocks, which are continually moving about all day. 847.—Aigialitis mongola, Pall. 17th January 1878, Female—Length, 8:42; expanse, 15°40; wing, 4°73; tail from vent, 2-0; tarsus, 1:25; bill from gape, 0°83 ; at front, 0°75; closed wings exceed end of tail, 0°25. The above bird was one of several that I knocked over from a flock one morning on a chur of the Muddoomutee River ; along with these was an unfortunate Zringa minutia. I never again saw this Sand Plover. 849.—ASgialitis dubia, Scop. 19th March 1878, Male.—Length, 6°75 ; expanse, 13°75 ; wing, 4:25; tail from vent, 2°25; tarsus, 0°91; bill from gape, 0°60; at front, 0°50; closed wings fall short of end of tail, 0°42; weight, 1:12 oz. Bill black; legs dusky yellow ; irides brown ; orbital skin yellow. Ath April 1878, Female.—Length, 7:25; expanse, 14°75; wing, 4°58; tail from vent, 2°50; tarsus, 0°92 ; bill from gape, 0°58 ; at front, 0°54; closed wings fall short of end of tail, 0°16 ; weight, 1°37 oz. Irides dark brown; bill black; base beneath yellowish ; legs dusky yellow ; orbits yellow. 300 FIRST LIST OF THE BIRDS OF Kather common and a permanent resident, as I have seen them all the year round, though failed to find the eggs; they go about in small parties of five and six along the banks and churs of rivers. 850.—Aigialitis minuta, Pall. apud Jerd. 14th May 1878, Male.—Length, 6°75; expanse, 12:25; wing, 4:08; tail from vent, 2-10; tarsus, 0°92; bill from gape, 0:56; at front, 0°46 ; closed wings fall short of end of tail, 0:12 ; weight, 0°87 0z. Eyelids yellow ; legs bluish grey ; irides dark — brown ; bill, base below and gape yellow.* I came across a party of four on asandy chur, and only secured one; the testes were enlarged, from which I conclude it breeds here. I never again met with this species. 854.—Chettusia cinerea, Blyth. 4th February 1878, Female.—Uength, 15:0; expanse, 30:75; wing, 9°58; tail from vent, 4°20; tarsus, 30°5 ; bill from gape, 1:66; at front, 1:50; closed wings equal end of tail. Legs and feet, greenish yellow; claws black; bill, basal two-thirds greenish yellow, rest black; wattles greenish yellow ; irides pinkish red. Found in small flocks which are shy and _ sileni; they frequent the beds of jheels whenever these are dry and covered with “doob” grass, especially if water is near. By the end of April all have left the country. 855.—Lobivanellus indicus, Bodd. 18th May 1878, Female.—Expanse, 28:12; wing, 8°75; tail, 4°66; tarsus, 3°25 ; bill from gape, 1°50; at front, 1:42 ; closed wings fall short of end of tail, 0:20; weight, 6°5 ozs. Legs dull yellow; irides reddish brown; eyelids and wattles, rich lake red ; bill, basal two-thirds lake red, rest black. Common and a permanent resident; frequents open plains and cultivated fields as well as the banks of rivers. 857.—Hoplopterus ventralis, Cad. 21st May 1878, Male.—Hxpanse, 25:0; wing, 7°60; tail from vent, 3°60 ; tarsus, 2°42 ; bill from gape, 1:30; at front, 1:08; closed wings exceed end of tail, 0:15; weight, 5:62 ozs. * Please note the difference in the size of this and the male in dubia; note that it was a breeding and not a young bird; note finally the differences in the colours of the soft parts. It is impossible with the fresh birds in hand not to recognize the two species; but the females of minuta are about the size of the males of dubia, and hence the confusion in the case of skins in which the distinction in the coloration of the soft parts is lost, or nearly so.—ED., S. F. FURREEDPORE, EASTERN BENGAL. 301 Trides deep brown; bill and legs black, also the mouth inside. ; Pretty common and a permanent resident in this district ; they frequent the sandy churs of the large rivers: in Sylhet I have seen them on the ‘‘ Soormah” river which has a muddy bottom, and in the Western Dooars numbers are observed on the pebbly bottoms of the numerous hill streams which enter the district from the north, so that they are not so particular as to the places they frequent, but they never leave the proximity of running water. I tried hard to find the eggs, but failed. 858.—Esacus recurvirostris, Cuv. Ath February 1878, Male.—Length, 20°; expanse, 35:0; wing, 10:25; tail from vent, 4°50; tarsus, 3°42; bill from gape, 3°50; at front, 2°80; closed wings fall short of end of tail, 1°25. Rather rare; a pair or two seen at long intervals along the sandy churs of the big rivers; has a low soft whistle; a very wary bird. The bill in the above mentioned specimen had the base of both mandibles greenish yellow for 0°75; the rest black ; tarsus greenish, the front of the latter and upper surface of toes being dusky ; irides greenish ; orbital skin yellow. This and the last species call frequently during the night, especially if it is moon light. 870.—-Gallinago sthenura, Kuhl. Ath February 1878, Male.—Expanse, 17:08; wing, 5:08; tail, 2°33; tarsus, 1:25; bill from gape, 2°12; at front, 2:25; closed wings fall short of end of tail, 0°16. Females.—Expanse, 17°62 to 18:0; wing, 5°08; tail, 2°25 to 2°42; tarsus, 1°33; bill from gape, 2°50 to 2°54; at front, 2°50 to 2°64; closed wings fall short of end of tail, 0°66 to 0:75 ; weight, 4°25 to 4:37 ozs. Legs greenish; upper bill, basal half horny ; distal half blackish brown; lower bill, basal half dusky green ; rest blackish brown. A cold weather visitant ; arriving later than the next species ; common; itis frequently found in dry places, such as dry paddy fields, drains and the like, which gallinaria never is; one that I shot on the borders of a mustard field in the factory compound had about a dozen caterpillars, from 0°5 to 1:25 inch long, in its gizzard; this bird was very dark colored on its lower parts. I shot a female, the last of the season, on the 24th April 1878 ; she was flushed from a perfectly dry ditch at the back of my house. 39 802 FIRST LIST OF THE BIRDS OF 871.—Gallinago gallinaria, Gm. Very common in suitable localities ; for the first half of the . season, October to December, they area good deal scattered about and are found in standing paddy, marshes and such like places, but from January they are only to be found in “ beels” and marshy hollows, if these have grass growing over them ; by the end of March very few birds are to be seen. I subjoin measurements of eleven males and three females shot in March 1878 :-— Males.—Length, 9°0 to 10°0; expanse, 15°0 to 17:50; wing, 4°91 to 5°60; tail, 250 to 2°75; tarsus, 1:19 to 1°33; bill from gape, 2°29 to 2°66; at front, 2°29? to 2°75; weight, 3°75 to 5°12 ozs. Females.—Length, 9: to 10°; expanse, 16:0 to 17°50; wing, 4:85 to 5°25; tail, 2°30 to 2°50; tarsus, 1:25 to 1°33; bill from gape, 2°61 to 2°67; at front, 2°60 to 2°75; weight, 3°5 to 5D OZS. 872.—Gallinago gallinula, Lin. 1st March 1878, Female.—Length, 9°65; expanse, 13:20; wing, 4:08 ; tail from vent, 1°75; tarsus, 0:92; bill from gape, 1:62; at front, 1:62; closed wings fall short of end of tail, 0:42; weight, 2°12 oz. A few couple seen during the season ; they frequent the same ground as the last species. 873.—Rhynchea bengalensis, Lin. 26th January 1878, Male.—LExpanse, 17:0; wing, 5:0 ; tail 1:50 ; tarsus, 1°70; bill from gape, 1°83 ; at front, 1-83 ; closed wings fall short of end of tail, 0°75. 15th June 1878, Female.—Expanse, 18:0; wing, 5°16; tail, 1:50; tarsus, 1°83; bill from gape, 2°06; at front, 2°0; closed wings fall short of end of tail, 0°75; weight, 5-25 ozs. Inides greenish brown; bill, basal third, greenish blue ; rest pinkish ; leos greenish blue. ‘Not rare ; afew couple are seen during the year ; frequents, by preference, swampy ground covered with patches of brush- wood. I think they are permanent residents; they never utter a sound when flushed. 875.—Limosa egocephala, Lin. March 1878. Males*.—-Expanse, 25:0 to 27°50; wing, 7°75 to 7:92; tail, 3°25; tarsus, 2°75 to 3°08; bill from gape, 3°75 to * I think there may have been some mistake in the sexing of these specimens. I have always found a much greater and more constant difference in the size of the two sexes, the females being always much larger and with much longer bills.—ED. FURREEDPORE, EASTERN BENGAL. 303 4:0; at front, 3°60 to 4°0; closed wings fall short of end of tail, 0°42 to 1:0; weight, 10°12 to 10°5 ozs. TIrides dark “Hieat legs blackish ; bill basal half, reddish; rest dusky rown. March 1878, Females.—Eixpanse, 25°50 to 27:0; wing, 7:50 to #83; tail, 3:0 to 3:25; tarsus, 2°75 to 3°08; bill from gape, 3°40 to 4°39; at front, 3:25 to 4°42; closed wings fall short of end of tail, 0°37 to 1:25; weight, 8°62 to 12°12 ozs. To the south of my factory was a large expanse of paddy field, in the centre of which was a sheet of water of about 20 acres in extent; in the hot weather the water was reduced to about 18 inches in depth, and this place for the latter half of March used to swarm with these birds. From about 9 to 2 in the day, the whole of the birds used to go away somewhere, evidently to feed. They used to allow me to approach within gunshot, and on the report of a gun would fly to the other end of the “beel,” when they could not be so easily shot. By the beginning of April not a bird was to be seen. 885.—Actodromas temminckii, Leis!. Males.—Length, 6° to 6°25; expanse, 11°25 to 11°50; wing, 3°58 to 3°62; tail, 1:83 to 2°0; tarsus, 0°60 to 0°66; bill from gape, 0°66 to 0°68; at front, 0°66 to 0°68; closed wings fall short of end of tail, 0°16 to 0°86; weight, 0°87 to 1°12 oz. Legs greenish; bill base greenish; rest black. Females.—Length, 6°10 to 6:30; expanse, 11:50; wing, 3°66 to 3°83; tail, 2:0 to 2°25; tarsus, 0°66; bill from gape, 0°66 to 0:70 ; at front, 0°64 to 0°66 ; weight, 0:62 oz. Common in every pool of water and along the banks of rivers and creeks. This is one of the earliest arrivals among the cold weather visitants. 891.—Rhyacophilus glareola, Zin. Males.—Length, 8:20 to 9:0; expanse, 15:0 to 15:25; wing, 4°75 to 4:92; tail, 2°0 to 2°25; tarsus, 1:42 to 1°50; bill from gape, 1:22 to 1:25; at front, 1:08 to 1:12; closed wings fall short of end of tail, 0°33 to 0°42; weight, 2°12 ozs. Legs greenish brown. Very commonin every pool, creek, and river ; when flushed, utters its loud note. 892.—Totanus ochrophus, Lin. 30th March 1878, Male.——Expanse, 17:0; wing, 5°46; tail, 2°50 ; tarsus, 1°33 ; bill from gape, 1°42 ; at front, 1:30; weight, 2°62 ozs. Legs greenish. aii Rather common in the cold weather in suitable places. 304 FIRST LIST OF THE BIRDS OF 894.—Totanus glottis, Lin. Females.—Length, 14:50 to 15:0; expanse, 23°50 to 24:50; wing, 7°33 to 7°50; tail, 3:0 to 3°25; tarsus, 2°33 to 2°50; bill from gape, 2°30 to 2°52; at front, 2:10 to 2-20; weight, 6:12 ozs. Bill bluish at base ; blackish tip; legs greenish. Very common in the cold weather along the rivers and creeks. Towards the beginning of April they gather in flocks of 40 and 50,and by the end of that month leave the country. 897.—Totanus calidris, Give. 2nd April 1878, Female.—Length, 11:0; expanse, 19°50 ; wing, 6°05 ; tail, 2°92; tarsus, 1:83; bill from gape, 1:92; at front, 1:40; weight, 4°12 ozs. Bill, base reddish ; rest blackish; legs pale reddish ; irides brown. I only saw three individuals during the season, very noisy and wary. The female I shot while hovering over a Phalacrocoraz pygmeus whom it was annoying. Had it not been so occupied, I could never have got near it. 898.—Himantopus candidus, Bonn. Common in the larger swamps in small parties of 8 and 10. By the end of March they commence leaving the district. 900.—Parra indica, Lath. 26th January 1878, Male.—Length, 10:20; expanse, 21:25; wing, 6°25; tail, 2°0; tarsus, 2°42; bill from gape, 1:20; at front, 1:04; closed wings fall short of end of tail, 0-16 ; hind claw, 2°10. 26th January 1878, Female.—Length, 12:0; expanse, 24:0 ; wing, 7:12; tail, 2°25; tarsus, 2°75; bill from gape, 1:30; at front, 1°12 ; closed wings exceed end of tail, 0°50; hind claw, 2°37. : e Very common during the rains, when they may be seen in the cuttings along side of roads, and in swamps as well as paddy fields. During the cold weather they are found in weedy tanks and beels. They lay in July and August. All the eggs I have found have been laid on masses of rotten vegetation which were submerged, the eggs being on the water level. In no instances have I found dry weeds under the eggs, nor has there been any approach to anest. I saw very few white-breasted birds even during the cold weather. 901.—Hydrophasianus chirurgus, Scop. | Qnd April 1878, Male.—Length, 16:10; expanse, 23°50 ; wing, 7°50; tail, 4:0; tarsus, 2°08; bill from gape, 1°20; at FURREEDPORE, EASTERN BENGAL. 305 front, 1:06 ; closed wings fall short of end of tail,0°75; weight, 4:87 ozs. Irides yellowish brown ; bill leaden; legs green in winter plumage. Qnd April 1878, Female.—Length, 16°75 ; expanse, 25°50 ; wing, 8°16; tail, 3°75; tarsus, 2°16; bill from gape, 1°22; at front, 1:15; closed wings fall short of end of tail, 0°66; weight, 5:87 ozs. Irides yellow; bill leaden ; legs green. Very common during the rains, when it is found in every swamp. From October to March it is not observed, and has evidently left the district. The female above mentioned has a good deal of ferruginous about the head and wing coverts, showing the juvenile stage. Both the above birds have the pointed appendage on the tips of the Ist and 4th primaries. It breeds here during the rains on masses of floating vegetation in swamps, making a rude nest of aquatic plants. 902—Porphyrio poliocephalus, Lath. 15th June 1878, Female.-—Length, 17:0; expanse, 30:0; wing, 10:0; tail, 3°50; tarsus, 3°60; bill from gape, 1°52. 17th June 1878, Male.—Leneth, 16°60; expanse, 31:0; wing, 9°83 ; tail, 4°0; tarsus, 3°33; bill from gape, 1:56. Bill and legs red ; irides red. Very local in its distribution. Some places hold dozens of these birds, while others, which are just as suitable, cannot show one. They frequent paddy fields and swamps covered with long grass ; a deal of paddy isdestroyed by these birds; they cut the stalks from just above the roots and eat the tender pith ; breed in June and July, for the female above mentioned had fully formed but soft eggs in the oviduct. The natives affirm that during the cold weather these birds lose the flight feathers and then lay up in holes under ground in “Sun”’ grass fields, but whether the cavities are made by the birds or have belonged to jackals, &e., they could not say. One of my peons told me that he caught over 20 birds one season from a grass field ; they however run well and are not caught without a good chase. I am inclined to believe the man; he had no object in telling a falsehood ; and it was on my showing him the skins that he men- tioned the fact.* 904.—Gallicrex cinereus, Gimel. 11th June 1878, Female—Length, 14:30; expanse, 24:25; wing, 7°16; tail, 2°75; tarsus, 2°75; bill from gape, 1°42; at * T don’t think that there is any foundation for this native story. At any rate I have shot numbers in perfect plumage, in December, January and February. They are very poor fliers, and if caught outin the middle of a large grass field, might, perhaps, be run down; but I disbelive their losing the flight feathors during the cold season, and a fortiori the “hole” part of the story.—Ep. 306 FIRST LIST OF THE BIRDS OF front, including cere, 1°66. Irides brown ; claws light horny ; bill below greenish yellow ; above horny ; legs greenish brown ; cere blackish ; mouth, inside pale fleshy. Very common during the rains all over the country in the standing paddy. During the cold weather where they went to I never could find out. They breed in the district in July and August. As regards the artificial incubation of the eggs of this species, see my letter, S. F., I., 531. 905.—*Gallinula chloropus, Lenn. When riding in to the Rajbaree station on the E.B. Railway in February 1878, I saw about 30 of these birds swimming in a tank which was on the outskirts of a heavy patch of cane jungle ; not having a gun with me, I did not secure any speci- mens. I never again came across the birds, but I am positive as to their having belonged to this and not the white-breasted species. 907.—*Erythra phoenicura, Pennant. These are very common, keeping to the patches of cane and bush jungles which surround the villages in this part of the country, and in the early morning they venture into the fields that skirt these jungles ; they are very often seen feeding about the village roads wherever these are bordered by cane jungle. 915.—*Leptoptilus argalus, Lath. Seen in large flocks in October and April, when they are passing through on their migrations. Some times as many as 300 are in a flock both in the blue grey and black plumage. A straggler or two, however, is sometimes seen during the cold weather. In Calcutta every one knows how fearless this bird is, but when they are in large flocks they frequent the pools of water and ditches in open paddy fields. At Dhoopgooree in the Julpigorie district, and close to the Gwaber Tea Association’s- garden, are several large forest trees surrounded with dense jungle, on which several pairs of these birds (or the may have been javanicus) breed annually during the cold season ; T unfor- tunately could not look them up when they were laying. 919.—Ciconia alba, Belon. 2nd March 1878, Female.—Length, 51:75 ; expanse, 77°50; wing, 24:0; tail from vent, 9°75; tarsus, 8°00; bill from gape, 7°75; at front, 7°16; closed wings equal end of tail. Legs dirty pink; bill bright pink. FURREEDPORE, EASTERN BENGAL. 307 Far from common. A few couples seen during the cold season when they are found in the beds of jheels wherever there is a little water. The one I shot was alone, and had alighted on a * Bombax”’ tree at dusk when I knocked her over. 920.—*Dissura episcopa, Dodd. Pretty common during the rains. The Natives (who call the bird “ Manickjor’’) say ‘the bird breeds in high trees. During August and September they are very shy, keeping to the pools of water in lar ge open plains, and consequently very difficult to shoot. 923.—*Ardea cinerea, Linn. Pretty common. I once saw about a dozen of this species in amongst some cattle that were grazing about 200 yards away from aswamp. This is the only instance I can recollect of ever having seen this Heron feeding out of water and slush. I have repeatedly tried to stalk them, but to no purpose ; for as soon as I would be about 100 yards from them, away they would go. This, with the open spots in swamps that they frequent, renders it very difficult to secure a specimen. 924.—Ardea purpurea, Zinn. 15th June 1878, Male.—Hxpanse, 57:50; wings, 15:0; tail, 5:16; tarsus, 5°75 ; bill from gape, 6°30 ; at front, 3-37. Trides si ellow ; 3 orbital skin bluish purple ; legs, from knee above, y ellow ; below, in front, blackish brown ; behind light aa ; soles bright yellow ; vill, for two inches of the anterior portion of upper mandible, black ; ; rest yellowish, with a tinge of dusky. Very common and a permanent resident. It “must breed in July and August, for the above bird’s generative organs were increasing in size ; they are very shy ; frequents swamps. 927.—*Herodias garzetta, Lznn. Common during the cold season. Where this species gets away to during ‘the rains I do not know, but all the birds I have shot during the winter had the legs and bill black, so were not to be mistaken for B. coromandus. 929.—*Bubulcus coromandus, Bodd. Common and a permanent resident. A small hamlet situated in a large plain and surrounded with water during the rains was pointed out to me as a place where these birds used to breed yearly. There were several Tamarind trees there on which the nests used to be built. 308 FIRST LIST OF THE BIRDS OF 930.—*Ardeola grayi, Sykes. Excessively common. The nuptial plumage is assumed in May, and changed in October. 931.—Butorides javanica, Horsf. Males.—Expanse, 22:0 to 26:0; wing, 6°75 to 7-0; tail, 2-0 to 2:75; tarsus, 1°83 to 2:0; bill from gape, 3°35 to 3°43; at front, 2°50 to 2°58. Female.—Expanse, 25°50; wing, 6°75; tail, 2°66; tarsus, 1:80 ; bill from gape, 3°58 ; at front, 2°60 ; weight, 6°62 ounces. Common along the banks of streams and nullahs ; feeds prin- cipally at night, but does not miss a chance of securing a morsel when offering even in the day. 932.—Ardetta flavicollis, Lath. 15th June 1878, Female.—Expanse, 27:0 ; wing, 8:0; tail, 2°50 ; tarsus, 2°54; bill from gape, 3°80; at front, 3:12; weight, 11:87 ozs. Mouth, inside deep fleshy; bill livid red brown; dusky onthe culmen, and light below ; naked skin of face livid ; irides bright purplish brown; legs reddish brown; ovaries the size of peas. 17th June 1878, Male—LExpanse, 27:0; wing, 8:0; tail, 2°58; tarsus, 2°50; bill from gape, 3°82; at front, 3°08; weight, 11°12 ozs. Legs reddish brown ; naked skin of face livid purple; irides as in the female; bill blackish brown, pale beneath. The above two were shot in a swamp, which was overgrown with rushes, in which I had shot both 4. cinnamomea and A. sinensis. Far from rare. I cannot recollect ever having seen it flushed from a river or creek. 933.—Ardetta cinnamomea, Gmel. Males.—Expanse, 20°16 to 21°50 ; wing, 5°75 to 6:08 ; tail, 1:60 to 1:83; tarsus, 2°08; bill from gape, 2°80 ; at front, 2°0 ; weight, 5°37 to 5°75 ozs. Bill yellow, dusky on culmen ; gape and cere yellow ; legs greenish yellow ; irides yellowish ; soles of feet yellow. Common in rush and reed-covered swamps, and also on the banks of rivers wherever there is sufficient brushwood to afford concealment ; lays during July and August. 934.—Ardetta sinensis, Gmel. st June 1878, Male.—Expanse, 17°50; wing, 5°33 ; tail, 1°83 ; tarsus, 1°92; bill from gape, 2°80 ; at front, 2°16 ; weight, 3:37 ozs. FURREEDPORE, EASTERN BENGAL. 309 Irides yellow ; lores bright yellow; orbital skin greenish yel- low ; legs palegreen; soles bright yellow; claws horny ; mouth, inside fleshy; Dill, below pale yellow; edges dusky ; upper mandible dusky. On dissection the testes were found to be slightly enlarged. Rather rare ; frequents swamps and paddy fields. An awful skulk, not rising till a person is within a few feet of it. Breeds in the district in July-August, but I failed to find the nest. 937.—Nycticorax griseus, Linn. 12th April 1878, Female.—Expanse, 36:0 ; wing, 11:0; tail, 3°75 ; tarsus, 2°75 ; bill from gape, 3°82 ; at front, 2:75. Irides purplish red; legs greenish yellow ; bill, above and tips black ; rest greenish ; lores and orbital skin verdigris green. 12th April 1878, Young Female.—Hxpanse, 36:0; wing, 10°50 ; tail, 3:16 ; tarsus, 2°75 ; bill from gape, 3°64 ; at front, 2:70. Legs light green; irides brick red ; loresand orbital skin dusky green. Very common; they havecertain trees (generally tamarind) for roosting, where during the day they may be seen in dozens, and ona shot being fired the flock take wing and keep whirling about overhead until all signs of danger are gone. Their flight is slow and laboured. In two villages near the factory I saw them roosting on tamarind trees that were right in the centre of the villages. They breed on these trees in August, and according to the villagers use the same nest after some slight repairs, year after year. Their food is frogs, fish, and aquatic insects. oT oe 938.—Tantalus leucocephalus, Gmel. 8th April 1878, Male.—Length, 41°80; expanse, 71:0; wing, 20:0; tail, 6:25; tarsus, 8:10 ; bill from gape, 10-08 ; at front, 10°08 ; closed wings exceed end of tail, 1:0. Irides light brown; legs fleshy red ; orbits and gularskia dirty yellow; bill orange yellow. By no means common. A rainy season visitant. The south- eastern corner of the Mymensingh district is one huge swamp covered with scrub and long grass, and on the large trees about these birds lay in the cold weather ; the half-fledged birds have been brought to me in the second week of December. I once kept a pair of young ones which became perfectly tame ; they used to eat small fish and would come up to the boy who gave them their food on being called. When being fed they would clatter the mandibles, shaking the head from side to side all the while, and uttering a hoarse croaking noise. On reaching 40 310 FIRST LIST OF THE BIRDS OF maturity, they would go off for the greater part of the day to the paddy fields, returning home just before sunset. All night they used to remain on the roof of one of the large jute godowns in the compound. Ofa stormy night, whenever there was a flash of lightning, I could see the pair on the roof with their wings half open to steady themselves and heads pointing to windward. They could have come under shelter had they a mind to do so. A wretched native shot the male, and a few days after the female disappeared. 940.—Anastomus oscitans, Bodd. 19th June 1878, Male.-—Expanse, 59:50 ; wing, 16°75; tail, 7:50 ; tarsus, 6°25 ; bill from gape, 6°40 ; at front, 6°30. Legs fleshy, with a good many patches of scurf; claws black ; irides brown ; bill, basal portion of under side of lower mandible dusky blue; rest of bill blackish ; rest of bill greenish ashy, deeply tinged with red on tip of lower mandible; eyelids purplish. These birds are pretty common from March to September, but whether they breed in the district or not I cannot say. In Sylhet I have seen them in flocks in the cold weather. The ashy- coloured birds are in excess of the white ones, (v. Bingham, Sh OL, I, 2B) 941.--Ibis melanocephala, Lath. A cold weather visitant, frequenting pools of water and marshes. In March I have seen flocks of 3U or 40. This is just prior to migrating. 943.—Falcinellus igneus, Gmel. Small parties seen occasionally during the rains. On the 18th May 1878, while out shooting on the Chapadahoo Beel, I saw a flock of 8 of these birds fly overhead about 150 yards up, s that I am certain of the identification. 949.—Anser indicus, Gmelin. I observed small parties of this species flying overhead on two or three occasions, but they were out of range. In the Gan- ges river, which runs past the northern boundary of the district, they are found in flocks in the cold weather. In the adjoining district of Dacca I have shot A. cinereus in company with this species. I have never come across these Geese feeding in the paddy fields of a morning, as they are in the habit of doing in Behar. FURREEDPORE, EASTERN BENGAL. 311 951.—Nettapus coromandelianus, Gmel. Mates.—Length, 13°25 ; expanse, 20°75 and 21-25 ; wing, 6-42 and 6°66 ; tail from vent, 3°10 and 3:25 ; tarsus, 1:0 and 1-04 ; bill from gape, 1:08 and 1:20 ; at front, 0°92 and 0:94; closed wings fall short of end of tail, 1:0 and 1:25; weight, 9°75 and 10°87 ozs. Irides crimson. Very common during the rains; and I have on several occasions noticed them during the cold season. Frequents swampy ground. Builds in holes in trees at no great height from the ground. I once founda nest in a hole in a date tree at 7 feet from the ground and close along side of a ryot’s house. There were twigs and feathers from their own breasts made into a nest ; one fresh egg. Some native boys killed the female, and I never again found any more breeding in that hole ; they even lay their eggs in the Factory chimney holes. When blowing the above mentioned egg I noticed the drops appear phosphorescent as they fell on a “ pucea”’ floor ; the floor was perfectly clean, so cannot make out the reason for this appearance. The egg had no bad smell, and appeared to be fresh. 952.—Dendrocygna javanica, Horsf. Males.—Expanse, 29°50 to 30:0; wing, 7:50 to 8-04; tail, 2°50 to 2°75; tarsus, 1:90 to 1:92; bill from gape, 1°80 to 2°06; at front, 1:58 to 1°75. Irides dark brown; legs dark plumbeous ; eyelids yellow; bill, base plambeous, shading into a black tip. Common during the rainy season, when they go about in pairs; builds its nest on trees as well as on the ground in “Sun” grass fields. During the cold weather I on two or three occasions saw small flocks of Dendrocygna, but whether of this or the larger species, (D. fulza) I cannot say. 954.—*Casarca rutila, Pall. A cold weather visitant found on the churs of the large rivers, but nowhere common. During a day’s sail a few pairs may be seen; the open places that they frequent makes it a difficult task to secure a specimen. In the house where I live at Howrah a pair (bought from a fowler in December 1877) have been let loose in the tank with their wings clipped; the scapulars of the male during the rainy season have become considerably length- ened, and when he closes his wings none of the white wing- coverts are visible ; thus making him appear of an orange fulvous colour throughout, no traces of the black collar in either during \ 312 FIRST LIST OF THE BIRDS OF the hot season. The maleis of a deep orange fulvous with the head of a yellowish white, and now in the cold season has a black ring round the neck. The female is of ‘a pale orange ful- vous with a pure white head; and the whole of the wine- coverts pure white; both have the upper tail-coverts chestnut, with brown zig-zag markings on both webs, which become darker until they shade into the black tail; under tail-coverts bright ferruginous.* The male bird is rather tame, but his mate is as wild asever.. They feed with the domestic ducks, but at night they remain, at the waters’ edge one on each of the tank step buttresses. The last birds (a party of 5) seen in Furreed- — pore this season was on the 9th April. 962.—Dafila acuta; Lin. In large flocks during the cold weather, easily distinguished by their swift flight and pointed tail. I could not manage to secure a specimen as they were very wild. During the day no wild ducks were seen anywhere near the factory, as they were resting in the Ganges due north about 20 miles, but in the morning I used to see great flocks going north; they , used to come at dusk and feed in all the “ beels”’ around, and be off again after sunrise. 965.—Querquedula circia, Lin. Males.—Length, 16; and 16:10; expanse, 23° and 25:50; wing, 7°25 and 7:33; tail from vent, 3:16 and 3:50; tarsus, 1:08 and 1:25; bill from gape, 1°75 and 1°83; at front, 1:55 ; closed wings fall short of end of tail, 0°75 and 1:16; weight, 13:37 oz. Legs bluish ;. bill black ;. irides brown. | Females.—Length, 15° and 15:50; expanse, 24° and 25:12 ; wing, 6°92 and 7:08; tail from vent, 2°83 and 2°92; tarsus, 1: and 1:08; bill from gape, 1°75; at. front, 1:50 and 1:56; closed wings fall short of end of tail, 0°33 and 0°66. Legs bluish ; bill black; irides brown. pris Swarms in the cold weather in all the small beels about the country. During the day they used to remain in the Ganges, and at night come to the interior to feed.. The Ganges from my factory was about 20 miles.. By the 16th April not a bird was to be seen, all having migrated. 967.—Fouligula rufina, Pallas. 7th February 1878, Female.—Length, 22:0; expanse, 35:0 ; wing, 10°08; tail from vent, 3°50; tarsus, 1:75; bill from * Having been kept down in the plains during the hot season, the plumage is not normal.—ED. FURREEDPORE, EASTERN BENGAL. 313 gape, 2°25; at front, 1:90; closed wings fall short of end of tail, 1:0. Bill black; tip reddish; legs salmon red; joints dusky. Secured this bird from a flock that was flying round a jheel, having been disturbed by my previous shot, and as it was dark, I could not make out whether the others, which flew away, were of this species. 975.—Podiceps minor, Gel. Male.—Length, 8°10 to 9°; expanse, 16°75 to 17:0; wing 3°75 to 4:0; tarsus, 1:25; bill from gape, 1:16 to 1:18; at front, 0:80 to 0°83; weight, 5°5 ozs. Female.—Uength, 8:20; expanse, 16°25; wing, 3°83; tarsus, 1:25; bill from gape, 1:12; at front, 0°77; weight, 5:87 ozs. A few hairs projecting from the os-coccygis do duty for a tail; irides red brown in adults, reddish yellow in the young ; bill blackish, conspicuously white tipped; gape sulphur yellow. Immature birds have the culmen black; the rest of the bill light orange; legs greenish ochre ; soles black. The birds killed in June had the sulphur yellow spot, which very likely is only seasonal. Jerdon does not seem to have noticed thisspot. During the cold weather these birds are not to be seen, but from April they were plentiful in all the large “ beels.” ‘None of those disseeted by me showed signs of breeding. 980.—*Larus brunneicephalus, Jerd. Common in all the large rivers during the cold weather. I have also shot it in the Chapadahoo Beel, which is a sheet of water about a mile in length and quarter of a mile in breadth, and only 3 miles inland from the Muddoomuttee river. 983.—*Gelochelidon anglica, Mont. Excessively common in all the rivers, creeks and beels; but whether it is a permanent resident or not 1 cannot say, not having paid attention to it. 984.—Hydrochelidon hybrida, Pail. 28th March 1878, Female.—Length, 10°33 ; expanse, 25-42 ; wing, 8°54; tail from vent, 3:37; tarsus, 0°83; bill from gape, 1°50; at front, 1:0; ‘closed wings exceed end of tail, 2-0; weight, 2°62 ozs. Bill and legs red, with a blackish tinge. Common along all the rivers and creeks, also any large marsh ; only seen during the cold weather. 314 FIRST LIST OF THE BIRDS OF 985.—Sterna seena, Sykes, Ath June 1878, Male.—Length, 14°75 ; expanse, 31:0 wing, 10:75; tail from vent, 4°66; tarsus, 0°83; bill from gape, 2-46 : at front, 1:62; closed wings exceed end of tail, 1:0; weight, 5:25ozs. Irides, dark brown ; bill, bright yellow ; legs, vermilion ; mouth, inside yellow. Very common and a permanent resident; frequents all the rivers and jheels, very often seen hawking over dry paddy fields. 987.—Sterna melanogastra, Tem. Ath June 1878, Male.—Length, 12°75 ; expanse, 25:0; wing, 8:75; tail from vent, 5°50; tarsus, 0°58; closed wings equal -end of tail; weight 2°50z. Irides, brown; bill, bright orange yellow; legs, dark orange yellow. Very common, frequenting all the rivers, creeks and jheels, and even hawking over dry paddy fields far away from any river. It is a permanent resident, but I failed to find the eggs. | 988.—Sterna gouldi, Hume. S. F., V., 326. 16th June 1878, Male.—Length, 8°10 ; expanse, 19:25 ; wing, 6:46 ; bill from gape, 1°56; at front, 1°12; tail from vent, 2°58 ; tarsus, 0°62 ; closed wings exceed end of tail, 1:25; weight, 1:250z. Irides, dark brown; legs, dusky orange ; mouth, inside yellow ; bill, dusky greenish yellow; the base of culmen and tips of both mandibles black. Not common. Occasionally asmall party of half a dozen may be seen hawking along the banks of the large rivers ; they beat the shores steadily just the same asa Harrier does a field. They seldom are seen on the smaller rivers. 995.—*Rhynchops albicollis, Swazns. Common from April to the end of October, when small par- ties are seen on all the larger rivers, and even at times in “ beels”’ of any extent. From their not being seen until April, I conclude they do not breed in the district. 1003.—Pelecanus javanicus, Horsf. apud Jerd. 15th February 1878, Female.—Length, 56:0; wing, 240; tail from vent, 7:75; tarsus, 4°10; bill from gape, 14:35 ; at front, 13:0. Legs, fleshy yellow ; irides, red ; bill, nail crimson ; above yellow, with a blue stripe down the centre and two short ones on each side of the base ; below yellow in front, bluish at base ; facial skin, fleshy ; pouch yellow with purplish veins. FURRE“XDPORE, EASTERN BENGAL. 315 I shot the above out of a flock of about 50 birds, while they were fishing in a jheel. There were a few grey ones along with this species. Another evening a flock of near 40 alighted on some Casuarina trees in front of my house, but that very morning my gun had been sent off to Calcutta for repairs and I could only look at them, and bewail my ill-luck. I, on several occasions, saw large flocks wheeling overhead, but never again got a shot at any. 1004.—*Pelecanus philippensis, Gel. When speaking of the last species I mentioned having seen several grey ones, amongst a flock of them; the grey birds appeared to be larger, and on the 4th April 1878, a party of 5 Grey Pelicans flew overhead, which showed a deal of grey on the wing feathers, and a grev tail. Now P. javanicus has a white tail, so I am inclined to conclude that they belonged to philippen- sis, though they may have been only the young of javanicus. 1007.—Phalacrocorax pygmeus, Pall. Excessively common and a permanent resident. Breeds in August on large trees in company with Pond Herons, Snake Birds, &c. I have never noticed them in any of the rivers in which there was much current. 1008.—*Plotus melanogaster, Penn. Common. Seen associating with flocks of the Little Cormo- rant, in all the small rivers and “ beels.” The Buddeas, a race of Gipsies who travel about the Hastern Bengal Districts in boats, are very fond of keeping these birds. Every boat has one of this species perched up on the stern. They ‘are permanent. resi- dents and breed here in August. A small hamlet around which grew several Tamarind and “ Jeeul” trees was shown to me as a place where several pairs of this species, together with nu- merous Pond Herons and Little Cormorants built their nests. The whole country round it was submerged during the rains. 316 atobeltics. Asio butleri, Sp. Nov. ? Like Asio accipitrinus, but smaller ; wing more rounded ; tarsi slenderer and longer ; feet smaller and less feathered, exactly in this respect as in A. madagascarensis; colours of upper surface altogether different, more those of Bubo coromandus. : I class this somewhat aberrant new form, as Asio, though I cannot make out in my single indifferent specimen any very distinct ear tufts; mor can I say that the cere appears to me much longer than the culmen. As far as I can make out, they are. precisely equal in length; but, taken as a whole, the bird is clearly, in my opinion, nearer Asco than any other recogni- sed genus, though I should not be surprised if ornithologists hereafter should separate itas the type of a distinct genus or subgenus. Ee I have only one specimen of this species, a nearly flat skin, with the breast and head much injured, but the rest in good order. This skin I owe to my indefatigable and devoted coadjutor, Captain E. A, Butler, after whom I have named it, and to whom -I must not neglect to express my many obligations. He procured it for me through one of his friends, Mr. Nash, I be- lieve from Omara, on the Mekran Coast. Itis certainly I think new ;at any rate itis not amongst those included by Mr. Sharpe in the 2nd Volume of his valuable catalogue either in text or notes. The following are the dimensions in the skin, but it is a good deal stretched, and the real length is probably somewhat less than I have given it. Length, 14:0; wing, 9°95; tail, 6°0; tarsus, 2°05; Dill from gape, 2°0; straight from margin of cere to point, 0°6; length of cere to frontal bone, 0:62; .mid-toe claw straight from root to point, 0°55 against 0°8 in accipitrinus ; tarsi much slenderer and longer than in that species ; toes slenderer and less feathered; mid toe to root of claw, 1:1; wing rounded; 3rd quill longest; 4th 0:2, 2nd 0-7, Ist 2:1 shorter than 3rd; first about equal to seventh; first four quills distinctly notched on the inner webs; third and fourth distinctly emarginate on outer ; second feebly so. There seems to be just as much of the disc above as below the eye. The chin, cheeks and entire space inside the ruff white, tinged fawny below and behind the eye; some few of the loral bristles dark-shafted towards their tips, but inconspicu- NOVELTIES. 317 ously so; the feathers of the ruff across the throat and as far as opposite the gape are grey brown, margined throughout their length pretty broadly, and tipped with cream color, more rufescent, and fawny towards the tips; the rest of the feathers of the ruff from the gape round behind the eye are very pecu- liar ; when examined closely they are rather pale French grey on one surface, warm brown on the other surface, and obscurely tipped with rufescent fawn. The forehead, crown, occiput and nape are a pale rufescent fawn, obscurely mottled with dusky brown; when the feathers are closely examined, the basal portions are bluish dusky, the rest pale rufescent fawn or buff, with an obscure ill-defined dusky brown bar, some little distance from the tip, and another imperfect bar or spot of the same color near the tip. The lesser ‘wing-coverts from the carpal joint to the body are an uniform smoky brown, somewhat intermediate between a hair-brown and an earth-brown. The scapulars, back, me- dian and greater wing-coverts are dull pale rufescent fawn, clouded and streaked with this same brown—most of the secondary, median and greater coverts having more or less pure white spots or blotches on the outer webs near the tips. The first primary is almost uniform brown, a shade darker per- haps than the lesser coverts, edged creamy white on the outer web, anda mottling of the same towards the middle of the inner web near the base. Therest of the quills are a lighter and perhaps greyer shade of this same brown, regularly barred with pale fawn color, which is duller and shaded with grey brown on the inner webs towards the tips, and becomes white away from the shaft, towards the bases. The tail is tipped with nearly pure white, and is exactly of the same character as the quills, but the barsin the two central-feathers are reduced to mere blotches on either side of the shaft. The breast and abdomen appear to have been creamy ; the feathers of the sides of the former, with afew very indistinct transverse dusky bands, and those of the latter with narrow brown shaft stripes. The entire wing-lining (except the tips of the greater pri- mary lower coverts, which are dusky brown,) the whole basal portions of the quills, the vent, lower tail-coverts and feathers of the legs and feet pure white. The lower surface of the tail grey brown, barred with white. ‘The terminal portions of the quills on their lower surface, and the whole of the first primary, grey brown; the first with one patch, others with obscure bars of greyish or brownish albescent. As far as I can judge this bird is fully adult ; indeed the lower mandible is a good deal worn, and it may be quite an old bird. 41 318 RECENTLY-DESCRIBED SPECIES. In the dry skin, the greater part of the bill and cere are blackish horny, but the culmen and the tips of both mandibles are pale yellowish horny. The bare portion of the feet appears to have been green. ‘The claws, which are extremely small for the size of the bird, brown, paler and more fleshy at their bases. Recentlp-described Species. Republications. Trichastoma leucoproctum, Zweed. Female.—Above olivaceous ruddy brown, more rusty at the tips of the upper tail-coverts, greyish on head, a tinge of pale rufous on a narrow frontal band, passing to the pale lores. Two centre tail feathers umber brown. The three outer tail feathers edged pure white on the inner web, the extent of white edging increasing inwards, until the whole inner web of the antepenultimate feather is white, while the fourth is broadly edged white for nearly its whole length on the opposite or outer web; shoulder of wings rusty olive ; the primaries dull rusty brown; blotch of white on the upper breast, which is dull pale olive brown, fading into the pure white of the under tail-coverts ; wing rounded; first primary half the length of the second, which is quarter inch less than the third ; fifth the longest ; tarsus and feet moderately strong for this group. Length about 63 inches; wing, 3°5 ; tail, 3:0; tarsus, 0-9 ; bill at front, 0°63. Legs and feet grey ; irides dark brown. Hab.—Base of the Mooleyit range, Tenasserim. Obtained by Mr. Assian Limborg.—P Z. 8., 1877, 366. [Marvellous as it may seem that the Marquis of Tweeddale should fall into such an error, there ean I think be little doubt that this supposed new species is merely the female of my Muscitrea cyanea, S. F., V., 101, June 1877, re-described as Niltava leucura by Lord Tweedaale, A. & M. N. H., August 1877, 95; (see also S. F., VI., 207). I have never seen the female Muscitrea cyanea, nor have I seen the supposed Pf. leucoproctum, but the dimensions, colour, arrangement of white RECENTLY-DESCRIBED SPECIES. 319 in the tail, &c., leave, I think, no possible doubt that this latter is the female of the former. But this raises a fresh question. My name was only actually published on the 17th June, though it had been written months previously. The Marquis of Tweeddale’s paper was received in the Zoo, on the 14th April, but when was the number containing it actually published ? So far as I can make out not till August, but this Dr. Sclater can tell us.—A. O. H.] Chrysococcyx limborgi, Tweed. Description.—Above fine rich purple, with steel reflections ; wings and tail the same, somewhat darker; throat and breast same as the back ; two outer tail-feathers with a similar white tip, and four spots on the outer web of the last, with a short white streak on the inner web opposite each spot, the two together having a tadpole-like outline; lower breast and vent white, the feathers broadly barred with green and purple, and over- lapping, forma succession of regular bands; the bars on the under tail-coverts are broader and of a stronger purple tint ; under surface of wing white at the inner base of the primaries and secondaries, forming a narrow white bar inside the wing ; a pure broad white crescentic collar on the lower nape, com- mencing low down on the side of the neck; bill yellow; legs rich green; irides red, and a bright crimson orbital skin. Length about 6 inches ; wing, 4°0; tail, 3:1; tarsus, 0°6. Hab.—Base of Mooleyit range, Tenasserim, This species (which, while closely allied to, differs fr om, C. xanthorhynchus, Horsf., by having a broad white nuchal collar) was discovered by M. Assian Limborg under the Mooley- it range, east of Moulmein, in January of the present year— P. Z. S8., 1877, 366. Prinia poliocephala, A. Anderson. Similis P. stewarti, eé fronte cinerea pileo concolori, sicut in hac specie ; sed dorso brunneo nec cinereo diversa ; rostro nigro ; pedibus pallide brunneis, iride pallide flavida ; palpebris pallide stramineéis. Long. tot, 3°8; culminis, 0°45; ale, 1:7; caudex, 1°8 ; tarsi, 0°8. Hab.—Kumaon, Bagesur Valley, 3—4,000 ft., 18th June. 320 BIRDS OCCURRING IN INDIA NOT DESCRIBED This species is of the same group as P. cinereocapil/a and P. stewarti, butis distinguished from both by trenchant charac- ters, which may be expressed in the following synoptic table :.— a. Back grey, as also the entire head...............--.Stewartt. b. Back rufescent brown, contrasting with the head, which ig grey. a! Forehead grey, like the crown..... ......poliocephala. 6! Forehead fulvous ; crown of head grey, cinereocapilla. —P.Z.8., 1878, 370. Birds occurring i India, not described in Jordon ov hitherte in Sivap Feathers.” In preparing the rough tentative list, which I have been so often urged to publish, of all the birds known or asserted, within recent times, to occur within the limits of our Indian Empire, with references to the passages in Jerdon’s “ Birds of India” or Stray FreatuHers, in which they are described or discriminated, I find many species of which no description has appeared in either of these works. I proceed, therefore, preparatory to the publication of this list, which is now with these exceptions ready to issue, to fur- nish the wanting descriptions.* These I take from my own ‘Rough Notes,” “ Nests and Eggs,” and my portion of Lahore to Yarkand, articles, and letters to the Jbzs, &c.; from Sharpe’s Catalogues, Dresser’s great work on the “ Birds of Europe,” &c., &c., the sources whence my extracts are drawn being duly noted in each case. I have in some instances compressed the descriptions. I do not say that I think these descriptions in all cases by any means what they should be, f but I have no time now to re-write these or prepare new ones, and all are I think sufficient for most practical purposes. * To my European and American readers this will necessarily appear a pure waste of paper, and so it is to those who possess or have access to Ornithological Libraries. But STRAY FEATHERS is above all things a journal for Indian Field Naturalists who possess no such facilities, and they absolutely require to have all these descriptions available, and without these the list for which all are crying out would be even more incomplete’ than my ignorance must necessarily after all render it. + It is specially where some of the Raptores and the Ceylon birds are concerned that the descriptions are meagre. The latter I have purposely avoided taking up in any detail, as Captain Legge is about to produce a separate work on the Ornithology of the Island. The very brief descriptions I have given will suffice to enable people to identify the species, and if they require further details, they can refer to his work, which will be immediately published. IN JERDON OR STRAY FEATHERS. 321 Tn some cases, where Jerdon’s descriptions (quoted, doubtless, from other authorities) seemed to me specially insufficient, I am giving others. I might with advantage have done this in many more cases, but I have had no time to work the subject up, and merely take action under pressure and protest, hoping that, with all its shortcomings, what I do may yet materially facilitate the labours of my fellow-workers here. 1.—vVultur monachus, Lin. Length, 42 to 45; expanse, from 96 to 118; wing, from 29°5 to 32; tail from vent, from 13 to 16 ; tarsus, 4°8 to 5:5; bill from gape, 3°6 to 4:0; weight, from 12lbs. to nearly 20 lbs., 14 lbs. being the average for males, and the females being considerably heavier. The tarsus is covered in front, and on the sides, for more than half its length, with a dense, almost silky fur, which in one place almost meets behind. The bare portions of the tarsus and the feet are, in some, a clear, slightly creamy white; in others, a pearl white, with here and there a barely perceptible pink tinge. Irides brown ; lower eyelid creamy white, (often with a faint delicate lilac or even purplish shade) pinkish at margin, and with a row of thick short eyelash feathers ; upper lid and bare eye-shelf pinkish, at times with a lilac shade; cere, gape and base of lower mandible a pale mauve, at times tinged in places with pink; bill horny blackish brown, darker on upper mandible and tip of lower ditto, palest at sides of base of upper mandible and of lower ditto; the lores, cheeks, fore- head, crown, occiput, chin and throat, and a patch on the lower mandible, covered with dark brown fur-like feathers, growing lighter towards the occiput. This fur is sparse and rather harsh on the cheeks, chin and throat, but very dense and soft on the upper portions of the head. The naked skin at the back and sides of neck, and the bare patch over the articulation of the jaws (generally continued as a ring upwards, behind and over the dark fur border of the ear aperture, to within one- half an inch or so of the posterior angle of the eye,) creamy, or in some delicate bluish white, occasionally with a shade of ink. i The whole body and wings are a rich, very dark, chocolate brown, (the under surface being darker than the upper,) the quills and tail being almost black. The feathers of the lower part of the back and sides of the neck are of a loose texture, 322 BIRDS OCCURRING IN INDIA NOT DESCRIBED elongated, and of a slightly lighter hue than the back, and: form a conspicuous ruff. Feathers of the upper breast length- ened, acutely pointed, somewhat rigid, and often with the webs a good deal separated. The tail-feathers are remarkably stiff, with the tips much abraded and naked, tipped with extremely stiff, hard projecting shafts, reminding one much of the tail- feathers of many Woodpeckers. The lower tail-coverts are of a slightly lighter hue than any other part except the occiput.— Hume, “ Rough Notes.” 3 bis.—Gyps fulvescens, Hume, “ Rough Notes,” p. 19, February 1869. Length, 41 to 47 inches ; expanse, 94 to 106 inches ; wing, 27 1o 29°5 ; tail of 14 feathers, 12 to 13°5 inches ; tarsus, 3°88 to 4:2; bill from gape, 3 to 3:2 ; weight, 12 to 18 lbs. The top of the head, cheeks, chin and throat are covered with dingy yellowish white hair-like feathers, so closely set upon the top of the head, chin and throat, and with such an admixture of down that the dark skin, which in the hili bird (G. himalayensis) shows so plainly through the scant covering, is, in this species, completely hidden. The nape and the whole of the neck, (except the back and side of the basal one-fifth or less, which are bare or nearly bare,) are closely covered with dense, short, fur-like white or dingy yellowish white down. The crop patch is about the same colour as in the hill bird, but somewhat more rufous, and the whole of the rest of the plumage is a far more rufous, and deeper fawn or buffy brown than in G. himalayensis. The lower plumage is in the adult of a rich rufous brown, bay, or even dull chestnut, conspicuously white shafted, whilst the mantle is a warm sandy brown, unlike the colouring of any of our other Indian Vultures. The feathers of the ruff are almost linear, (the web not so much separated as in the hill bird,) usually of a warm wood brown or rufous fawn, the feathers conspicuously paler centred. In one specimen an old female, shot by Mr. Marshall on a nest from which he took the egg, the ruff feathers differ in being of a uniform dingy white, faintly tinged with rufous. The upper back, the whole of the upper wing-coverts, and all but the longest scapulars are a warm wood brown, or brownish rufous fawn, yellower and sandier in some, deeper and more of a bay colour in others. The secondaries, tertials and longer scapulars umber (but not dark umber) brown; the latter, IN JERDON OR STRAY FEATHERS. 323 (viz., the longer scapulars) more or less tipped with the rufous or sandy colour of the upper back, which colour, in some speci- mens, more or less extends to the tips and outer webs of the tertiaries. Lower back, rump, and upper tail-coverts the same colour as the upper back, but of a considerably lighter tint, in some mingled with brown, and in some altogether of a pale pure bay. The primaries and tail-feathers are very dark brown ; in some not so dark as the corresponding feathers in G. himalayensis, but in others of an intense chocolate brown. Lower parts a rich sandy or rufous fawn or even a deep bay, (the tint varies in different stages of plumage) each feather conspicuously paler shafted, and most of them (in the younger birds) conspicuously, though narrowly, paler centred. The lineated appearance of the lower parts alone at once distin- guishes this species from the preceding one.—Hume, “ Rough Notes.” 3 ter.—Gyps himalayensis. Hume, “ Rough Notes,” p. 12, February 1869. Length, 46 to 49 inches ; expanse, 106 to 110 inches ; wing, 30 to 31; tail, 15 to 17; tarsus, 4:25 to 4:8; bill from gape, 31 to 3-44 ; weight, 18 to 20 tbs. The legs and feet area dingy greenish grey or white; the claws pale brown; the bill very pale horny green, dusky just at tip; cere rather pale brown; skin of cheeks and chin pale brownish grey, or dove colour, with a pure blue tinge round the lower half of the eye. The adult bird has the whole head, cheeks, chin and throat rather closely covered with yellowish white hair-like feathers ; the nape and upper two-thirds of the back and sides of the neck are somewhat thickly covered with yellowish white down ; the basal one-third of the back and sides of the neck were bare in all the specimens I have examined, and the front of the neck sparsely studded with star-like tufts of down. The large crop- patch, some 8 inches long by 6 inches in breadth, is densely cloth- ed with small close-sitting pale wood brown feathers. ’ At the base of the back of the neck, rising in all the instances I have seen out of the bare skin, is a ruff of linear lanceolate feathers, about three inches in length, with very loose, separated, filament- ous webs of dingy buffy white ; upper back, short scapulars and wing-coverts, (except the larger row), a nearly uniform pale brown, or whity brown, many of the feathers inconspi- 324 BIRDS OCCURRING IN INDIA NOT DESCRIBED cuously paler centred ; mid back pure white, but some of the feathers with a fawn-coloured tinge ; rump and upper tail- coverts more or less fulvous, buffy, or fawny white, (the hue seems to vary in different individuals), some of the longer feathers much tinged towards the tips with brownish fawn colour; longer scapulars and largest. wing-coverts deep umber brown, tipped (in the scapulars broadly) with fulvous fawn, and more or less centred towards the tips with the same colour ; quills and tail-feathers (the secondaries a shade less deep) deep umber brown, freshly moulted ones having a pur- plish gloss, and being perhaps best described as of a deep chocolate brown ; the whole of the lower parts, including wing- lining and lower tail-coverts, a very pale dingy brown, or fulvous white, some of the feathers especially on the sides, with ill-defined, moderately broad, somewhat paler centres, passing imperceptibly into the tint of the rest of the web. The tarsus is clad in front, for nearly, or in some cases fully, the upper half, with slightly fulvous white down. The whole of the rest of the tarsus and the back of the joint are quite bare. In the distribution of the down on the neck, in the somewhat elongated bill, in the paler under-parts, with (in the adult) in- conspicuous broad paler centerings to the feathers, and in the more pointed character of the feathers of the back, this species approaches G. pallescens. As compared with the previous species, (fulvescens) the somewhat greater size, the sparse- ness and star-like character of the down-tufts about the throat and neck, the paler under surface devoid in the adult of con- spicuous narrow pale centerings to the feathers, the looser ruff, longer upper: tail-coverts, more pointed back feathers, more powerful feet, with more prominent scutz and reticulations, serve amongst other differences to distinguish it. The young bird differs much in its plumage from the adult. Seen flying at a little distance, it appears of a pale bronze colour, and on the wing might possibly be mistaken for the young of monachus. When in the hand, however, there is no mistaking it. Inthe arrangement of down about the neck and throat, in the colour of the bill, bare skin and feet, and quill and tail-feathers, it exactly resembles the adult, but the prevailing hue of all the rest of the plumage isa rich brown, very deep above, somewhat paler below; every feather, except the greater wing-coverts and larger scapulars, with a broad, central, yellowish brown or fulvous stripe. As in the adult, there is a pure white patch on the upper back, extending to the sides of the middle back, but this is usually hidden by the scapulars. The crop patch is a warm brown, much deeper and IN JERDON OR STRAY FEATHERS. 325 darker than in the adult. The down-patch on either side of the crop-patch, and the downy covering of the upper half of the tarsus, and the tibia, pure white. The striped appearance, above described, extends to the wing-lining and ruff of linear lan- ceolate feathers, at the base of the neck behind. The later secondaries are at all ages very long, and the wings very broad. In the fresh bird, when the wings are closed, the longest primaries are surpassed by the longest secondaries.— Hume, “ Rough Notes.” 4 bis.—Gyps pallescens, Hume, Length, 36:0 to 39:0; expanse, 85 to 90 ; wing, 28 to 25:5; tail from vent, 10:0 to 11:0; tarsus, 3°5 to 4:0; bill from gape, 2°65 to 2°95 ; weight, 11 to 14 lbs. Bill and cere pale greenish, yellowish horny on culmen and blackish towards tips of mandibles ; bare skin of head and face dusky ashy leaden; legs and feet dingy ashy leaden ; margins of scales whitish; claws creamy horny ; irides brown. In the perfect adult, brownish white hair-like feathers are thinly sprinkled over the head, nape, cheeks, and throat ; the upper half of the back and sides of the neck, and whole of the front of the neck are excessively thinly studded with small star- like tufts of down; the lower half of the back and sides of the neck are perfectly bare; the crop patch is closely covered with silky, tight fitting, dark hair-brown feathers; the whole of the rest of the lower surface is a pale whity brown, becoming almost a pure white towards the vent and lower tail-coverts ; the ruff is full, soft and pure white, of very downy feathers, the webs much disintegrated ; the whole mantle is pale earthy brown, the centres of the lesser, and all but the tips and mar- gins of the larger scapulars, being dark hair brown. The lower back, rump and upper tail-coverts white, tinged with pale earthy brown, many of the feathers, however, espe- cially of the longer tail-coverts, being brown at the base, but so broadly tipped and margined with the paler colour that little of the brown shows; the primaries and tail-{eathers are deep chocolate brown; the secondaries and tertiaries hair brown, more or less suffused, on their outer webs, with pale dingy earthy or fulvous brown. c A quite young bird has the top and back of the head, and upper part of the back of the neck, thickly covered with white down ; the rest of the head and neck, asin the adult ; the crop patch, much lighter than in the adult, is covered with pale, 42 326 BIRDS OCCURRING IN INDIA NOT DESCRIBED dove-coloured, brown feathers; the rest of the lower surface is pale brown, becoming albescent towards the vent, each fea- ther broadly centred, (most conspicuously so on the sides and breast), with dingy white; the ruff, of long linear lanceolate feathers, is a very pale fulvous white, faintly margined with brown; the mantle, a somewhat pale hair brown, every feather narrowly but conspicuously, centered with fulvous white; the quill-feathers and tail-feathers chocolate brown, darkest on the primaries and rectrices ; the lower back, rump, and upper tail- coverts are nearly pure white, only a few of the longest of the latter being tinged with brown. ; In an intermediate stage, the crop patch is intermediate in colour between that of the adult and of the young, as is also the colour and character of the ruff, and indeed of the whole plumage. This bird differs at all ages from bengalensis, in having fourteen instead of twelve rectrices.—Hume, “ Rough Notes.” 4. ter.—Gyps tenuirostris, Hodgson. In plumage this species closely resembles the Eastern Gyps indicus,* but differs in the much slenderer bill and head. The following are dimensions and colours of the soft parts of a speci- men shot by Dr. Scully in the Residency grounds, Khatman- doo, Nepal. Length, 38°5 ; expanse, 89°5; wing, 23:4; tail from vent, 10:7 ; tarsus, 3°9; bill from gape, 2°85; weight, 12Ibs. Bill brownish dusky horny ; the culmen yellowish horny ; cere horny black ; irides deep brown ; skin of head and neck dark muddy ; tarsi and toes black ; edges and interspaces of scales earthy ; claws dusky or horny black. From pallescens this species differs, not only in its slenderer head and bill and its darker plumage, and inthe amount of feathering on the head and neck, in which two latter respects it agrees with zzdicus, but also in the wholly different coloring of the soft parts. 9 bis.—-Falco atriceps, Hume. “ Rough Notes,” . 58, February 1869, A fine adult female shot at Simla, 30th April 1878, measured : —Length, 17:5; expanse, 40:0; tail, 6°7; wing,12°5; tarsus, 2:2 ; bill from gape, 1:4; weight, lib. 140z * V.S. F. VII. 166. IN JERDON OR STRAY FEATHERS, 327 Trides deep brown ; cere, gape, orbital space, legs and feet, bright yellow; bill pale leaden blue, blackish at tips, greenish yellowish at base. This is the largest bird that I have measured ; males are con- siderably smaller. This species or race is constantly smaller sex for sex than perigrinator; it invariably has the whole head, nape, cheek stripes, cheeks and sides of the head black, forming one unbro- ken black cap, which is rarely, if ever, the case in perigrinator, and ithas the whole upper parts a much lighter paler slaty blue, (recalling that of Falco chiquera) than is ever seen in perigrinator. The upper parts are closely and conspicuously barred as in the peregrine, with dusky slaty, differing in this respect from adult perigrinator, which has these bars feebly marked, almost wanting in some specimens. Beneath it is never so rufous, as perigrinator almost always is, and it has the thigh-coverts and under wing-coverts closely though narrowly barred, while in the old perigrinator these are nearly uniform. The barson the inner webs of the primaries are narrow and close as in perigri- nator, and in this respect it differs conspicuously from peregrinus. Jerdon, Verreaux, Gurney, all considered this a good species. Itis at any rate a very distinct race, confined apparently to the central section of the Himalayas. I have obtained now several in the neighbourhood of Simla, and I doubt whether the female bird, whose description I quoted from Captain Cock at p. 61 of “ Rough Notes,”’ really belonged to this species, I have not the bird to refer to, and at that time I may have been misled as I had then only seen one or two of this present species or race.—Hume, “ Rough Notes.” 100is,—Hierofalco hendersoni, Hume. The best description that can be given of the general appear- ance of the upper surface is, that it resembles that of a female Kestrel. Below the adult bird is almost spotless, except on the flanks ; the cheek stripe is very long and narrow; the bill short, with a slight festoon and a rather blunt tooth ; the tarsus and toes short, the former feathered in front for three- fifths of its length, the claws comparatively short and singu- larly blunt for a Falcon. Male.—Length, 20 inches ; wing, 14 ; tail from vent, 7°5 ; tarsus, 2°15, feathered for 1°3 inch ; bill at front, straight from edge of cere to point, 0°84 ; from gape, 1°36, 328 BIRDS OCCURRING IN INDIA NOT DESCRIBED The cere and feet appear to have been bright yellow ; the claws black ; the bill pale blue, darker towards the tip, and faintly tinged with yellowish at the junction with the cere at the gape, and at the base of the lower mandible. Lores white, with a narrow dark streak running along the lower margin of the orbits; forehead rufescent white; the feathers dark shafted, and the posterior ones blending with those of the crown and occiput, which are dark brown, broadly margined with bright rufous. Immediately above the eye is an indistinct narrow whitish supercilium, the feathers of which are dark-shafted. Beyond the eye this supercilium is continued as a broad, ill-defined, bright rufous band round the nape, the feathers of which are narrowly dark shafted; the feathers of the posterior halves of the sides, and also of the back of the neck, bright rufous and dark brown, the centres of the feathers being brown, and the margins rufous; upper back, scapulars, coverts, tertiaries, and secondaries, brown, dark on the interscapulary region and lesser coverts, paler and greyer elsewhere, and all broadly barred with bright rufous ; lower back and rump ashy, with broad bars of pale rufous ; upper tail-coverts similar, but browner, and the pale rufous more or less replaced by fulvous white; tail-feathers ashy brown, tipped whitish or rufous, and with ten or eleven broad regular transverse bars of dull rufous; cheeks dull rufescent white ; ear-coverts mingled rufous and dark brown. A rather long, very uatrow, dark brown cheek stripe, from the gape, running down either side of the throat ; chin, throat, breast, abdomen, vent, and lower tail-coverts white, faintly tinged with rufous cream colour on the breast and abdomen, with dark brown points to a few of the feathers of the sides of the breast, and with a few brown drop-like spots on the abdomen and lower tail-coverts ; sides and flanks rufescent white, with broad dark brown transverse bars; primaries, brown on the outer webs and at the tips ; the first quill narrowly margined on its outer web with bright rufous, and the rest with imperfect bars of the same colour on their basal halves ; the inner webs above the tips are white, becoming rufescent towards the shafts, from which numerous imperfect tooth-like brown bars project over somewhat less than half the breadth of the web ; the first quill is strongly notched on its inner web about 23 inches from the tip ; the second and third are similarly, but much less_per- ceptibly notched; the second quill is perceptibly emarginate on the outer web.—Hume, “ Lahore to Yarkand.”’ IN JERDON OR STRAY FEATHERS. 329 12.—Falco babylonicus, Gurney. Young Male.—Length, 16 inches ; expanse, 38 inches ; weight, 12 ozs. ; wing, 11°87 inches ; the second primary the longest ; tail of 12 teathers; leneth from vent, 6 inches; tarsus, (feathered for 0-5 inches, in front), 1:87 inches ; bill, straight, 1:06; along curve, 1:25 ; from gape, 1:19; width at gape, 1-19, Legs and feet bright yellow, whitish at the joints of the reticulated scales of the tarsus; claws horn black ; middle toe very slender and elongated ; irides dark brown ; edges of the lids greenish yellow, with tiny dark lashes ; membrane of the orbits pale greenish. Cere pale sea-green, with only a tinge of yellow on the ridge; bill pale bluish green; points and culmen horny bluish black. Plumage.—Forehead buffy white; feathers dark shafted ; line over the eye continued round the back of the head, whitish or fulvous white ; feathers dark shafted ; whole crown of the head brown, a few feathers in centre, towards the front, very broadly margined, the rest very narrowly margined, with fulvous or buffy white; the nape below the white stripe darkish brown, in the centre, the feathers margined with buffy white, and with a patch of white on either side, the feathers of which have dark spots towards the tips. The whole of the rest of the back of the neck, upper back, scapulars, and wing- coverts a nearly uniform brown, with a faint tinge of slaty, and all the feathers tipped and margined with fulvous white, very narrowly towards the head, and more broadly towards the points of the scapulars ; the hue of the back of the neck is slightly darker; the quills are much the same colour, but somewhat more bluish ; all the quills have a number of incom- plete bars, or oval spots, of rufous white on the inner web ; the last five primaries, the secondaries, and the tertiaries have each two or three tiny rufous white spots, ou the outer webs also ; and the greater coverts of the secondaries and tertiaries have similar small inconspicuous spots on both webs, and all the secondaries and tertiaries, and the last few primaries, are narrowly tipped with buffy white. The rump and lower back are a somewhat paler and more sandy brown, margined with pale rufous ; the upper tail-coverts are a still more sandy brown, tipped and margined with dingy white, and with one or more incomplete bars of fulvous white. ‘The tail feathers are brown, paler and sandier on the centre feathers, and darker and more slaty on the outer feathers, all narrowly tipped with dirty white, and all with six or seven 4-inch broad transverse 330 BIRDS OCCURRING IN INDIA NOT DESCRIBED bars on both webs, fulvous white on the centre feathers, and rufous white on the exterior feathers ; these bars are scarcely visible on the outer web of the exterior feathers. Chin and — upper part of throat pure white, a dark brown cheek stripe from under the eye, margined with pale rufous ; ear-coverts’ mingled pale brown and rufous white; hinder portion of the cheeks white, some of the feathers tinged pale rufous; an ill- defined brown stripe (the feathers slightly tinged with fulvous white) running backwards from the posterior angle of the eye, and dividing the white of the hind cheeks from the white of the sides of the nape ; the lower throat and upper portion of the breast fulvous white, each feather dark shafted, and with a narrow somewhat pear-shaped streak of dark brown towards the tip; the rest of the breast, sides, and upper abdomen fulvous white, each feather with a well-marked central stripe of brown, narrowest in front, broadest towards the sides ; lower abdomen and vent white, slightly tinged with fulvous, a few of the feathers dark shafted. Lower tail-coverts, (which do not reach within two inches of the end of the tail) white, with two or three transverse, somewhat wavy, bars of pale brown ; interior thigh-coverts white ; exterior thigh-coverts white, tinged with fulvous, each feather dark shafted, and with a central lanceolate stripe of brown; under surface of tail and quills greyish brown, the bars above-mentioned showing through ; the lower wing-coverts, all reddish brown, conspi- cuously margined at the tip, and the longer ones barred, with somewhat fulvous white. Adult female.—Dimensions.—Length, 17:25 ; expanse, 41; tail from vent, 7°25 ; foot, greatest length, 4°5 ; greatest width, 4; wing, 13; wings, when closed, reach to within 1:87 of end of tail; tarsus, 1:75 ; mid toe to root of claw, 1:9; weight, 1:87 lbs. The irides deep brown; the cere, gape and orbital skin, as well as the legs and feet, bright yellow; the claws black, and the corneous portion of the bill blue, changing to horny black at the tip; the forehead and the centre of the top of the head sandy rufous, each feather with a dark brown shaft ; the sides of the top and the back of the head a some- what ashy or slaty brown, the feathers more or less margin- ed with sandy rufous. A broad rufous half collar running round the back of the neck, a little mottled behind the ear-coverts, and again in the centre of the back of the neck, with dusky slaty. The whole mantle slaty grey, dark and dusky towards the base of the neck, and paling towards the rump and upper tail-coverts. Most, if not all, of the feathers narrowly margined paler, those towards the nape with rufous, IN JERDON OR STRAY FEATHERS. 331 and those lower down with greyish white. Most of the feathers also somewhat conspicuously darker shafted, and all exhibiting broad, transverse, somewhat ill-defined, dusky slaty bands, The ramp and upper tail-coverts pale slaty or French grey, with brown shafts, and transverse arrow head dusky bars. The tail-feathers pale slaty grey, tipped with rufous, and with numerous broad, transverse, well defined, slaty brown bars, broadest towards the tips. A blackish line under the eye, con- tinued downwards for about an inch and a quarter, as a narrow cheek stripe; the two cheek stripes nearly meeting on the throat, about an inch and a half below the base of the lower mandible ; the whole of the lower parts, a rich rufous salmon colour, somewhat paler on the chin and centre of the throat, and deeper on the ear-coverts, sides of the neck, and centre of the abdomen ; the breast, chin, and throat perfectly spotless ; the abdomen, flanks, lower tail-coverts and tibial plumes regu- larly, but rather widely, barred with slaty brown ; the bars everywhere narrow, being nearly obsolete in the centre of the abdomen, and best marked on the flanks ; the under wing- coverts of a pale salmon colour, conspicuously barred with brown.—-Hume, “ Rough Notés.”’ 18.—Cerchneis naumanni, Fleish. Adult Male.—Upper surface of body rich cinnamon-rufous ; entire head and hind neck, lower back, rump, upper tail-coverts, and tail blue-grey, the latter tipped with white, and crossed by a broad subterminal band of black; lores and a few streaks on the cheeks whitish ; lesser and medium wing-coverts cinnamon- rufous, like the back, afew of the outer ones of the latter series washed with blue-grey; the greater coverts and inner secondaries blue-grey, washed with rufous externally ; primaries dark-brown ; throat deep fulvous white; breast pale cinnamon or vinous, with a few blackish spots on the breast, becoming larger on the sides of the body; thighs paler rufous, unspotted ; abdomen and under tail-coverts yellowish white ; under wing- coverts white, with a few tiny black oval spots larger on tie axillaries; bill lightish blue, yellow at base, and blackish at tip; cere, orbits, and feet beautiful yellow, the claws generally white, very rarely inclining to blackish ; iris dark brown. Total length, 12°5 inches; culmen, 0°75 ; wing, 9:1; tail, 6; tarsus, 1°2. Adult Female.—Dissimilar to the male. Above tawny rufous, transversely crossed by bars of blackish brown, narrower and more obscure on the lower back, rump, and upper tail-coverts, 302 BIRDS OCCURRING IN INDIA NOT DESCRIBED the latter of which are strongly inclined to grey ; tail rufous, barred with black, tipped with whitish, before which a broad subterminal band of black ; head and neck rather paler rufous, the former broadly, the latter more narrowly, streaked with blackish shaft-stripes ; forehead and a distinct eyebrow whitish ; cheeks and ear-coverts silvery white, with narrow shaft lines of black ; primaries dark brown, barred on the inner web with rufous; secondaries coloured like the back, the outer ones nar- rowly margined with white at the tip; throat, vent, and under tail-coverts fulvous white, unspotted ; breast inclining to rufous- fawn colour ; all the feathers mesially streaked with blackish, these stripes being broader on the flanks, and very tiny on the thighs, which are also paler rufous. Total length, 12:5 inches; culmen, 0°7; wing, 9°3; tail, 5-9; tarsus, 1-2. Young Male.—Like the old female, but somewhat paler rufous. The blue tailis assumed by a moult, the blue head being, on the other hand, gained by a change of feather. Birds in intermediate stages are often thus seen.—Sharpe’s Catalogue. 18 dis.—Cerchneis pekinensis, Swinh. Adult Male.—Very similar to C. nawmanni, but darker and more vinous red above ; underneath also darker-coloured and une spotted when adult. The principal distinction is in the wing- coverts, which are almost entirely blue-grey, only the very innermost being slightly washed with rufous. Total length, 12 inches; culmen, 0°8; wing, 9°6; tail, 5°8; tarsus, 1:45.— Sharpe's Catalogue. 19.—Cerchneis vespertina, Lin. Adult Male.—Above leaden grey, a little paler on the wing- coverts, the greater series of which are conspicuously silvery grey ; primary coverts and quills silvery grey ; the secondaries darker and approaching the colour of the back ; tail brownish black ; under surface bluish grey, with faint indications of blackish shaft-stripes ; lower abdomen, vent, under tail-coverts, and thighs rich chestnut; under wing-coverts leaden grey ; inner lining of wing brownish black; cere, orbits, and feet bright brownish red; claws yellowish white, horn-coloured at points; bill yellowish horn-colour, blackish at tip; iris light IN JERDON OR STRAY FEATHERS. 333 brown. Total length, 11:5 inches ; culmen, 0°75 ; wing, 9°8 ; tail, 5°6 ; tarsus, 1°15. Adult Female.—Different from the male. Above bluish grey, with transverse black bars on all the ‘feathers, the interscapu- lary region a little darker and more ashy; tail also bluish grey, with narrow black bars, the subterminal one much broader, the tip a little paler grey ; quills brownish, externally ashy grey, barred on the inner web with whitish; head, hind neck, and underparts rufous, inclining to buff on the under tail-coverts ; forehead whitish; lores and feathers round the eye greyish black ; sides of the face and neck, as well as the throat, yellowish white, with faint indications of a pale rufous moustachial streak ; soft parts as in the male, but less bright. Total length, 11 inches ; culmen, 0°7 ; wing, 9°7 ; tail, 5:6 ; tarsus, 1°15. Young.—In general colour similar to the adult female, having the tail barred with black ; the forepart of the head is whit- ish ; and there is a strong tinge of rufous on the .edgings to the interscapulary region, the bases to the feathers being blackish ; feathers round the eye and on the upper part of ear-coverts greyish black, with faint indications of a moustachial streak ; throat and sides of neck creamy white; under surface rufous, paler than in the old female, and streaked with blackish centres to the feathers, these developing into spots towards the end of the feathers; cere, orbits, and feet reddish yellow; claws yellowish white, with dark grey tips.—Sharpe’s Catalogue. 24 bis.—Accipiter melaschistus, Hume. ‘ Rough Notes,” p. 128, February 1869. The chief distinctive features are its greater size, and the much greater intensity of the colour of the upper plumage, especially in the female. Adult Female.—Length, 16°5; wing, 10°5; tarsus, 2°35; tail, 8-7. Young Male.—Length, 15°75; wing, 9°75; tarsus, 2°25; tail, 8°5. Adult Female.—The head, nape, and upper back deep blackish olivaceous brown, with even a tinge of slaty on the head and nape, where there are traces of a white patch owing to the bases of the feathers showing through ; the scapulars slightly less deep blackish brown; lower back, rump, and upper tail- coverts somewhat slaty brown; upper wing-coverts and quills hair brown ; the secondaries and some of the primaries, with 43 334 BIRDS OCCURRING IN INDIA NOT DESCRIBED traces of darker bars on the outer webs; tail greyish brown or brownish slaty, with five broad transverse dark brown bars ; the upper bar hidden by the upper tail-coverts ; the subtermi- nal bar broadest; a narrow white tipping, most conspicuous on the centre feathers ; the lores white, a trace of a whitish streak behind the eye; cheeks rufous white, the feathers with dark brown linear central stripes; the ear-coverts rufous, with dark central stripes, and the longer feathers tipped blackish brown ; a black line immediately under the eye running over the ear- coverts, and lost in the dark tips of these; chin and throat rufous white, most rufous towards the sides of the neck, and each feather with a dark shaft, or narrow dark central stripe ; the whole of the breast, abdomen, sides, thigh-coverts, axillaries, and lining of the wing white, conspicuously, closely and broadly barred with dark brown; many of the feathers with a rufous tinge towards the tips, and some of them especially in the flanks, with rufous, more or less taking the place of the brown bar; the lower tail-coverts nearest the vent, narrowly barred with paler brown ; the longer tail-coverts pure white; a conspicuous patch of rusty or pale chestnut on the sides; inner webs of the primaries strongly barred white, or greyish white, and dark brown ; the bars perpendicular, or nearly so to the shaft, and not slanting as in European specimens of nisus that IT have examined; the whole barring of the under surface is much closer and more conspicuous than in any of the specimens of nisus from Europe, with which I have compared it; the bars being in one quite as broad, and in the other nearly as broad as the white interspaces. The feet are larger; the hind toe and claw, and inner toe and claw, conspicuously so. . Young Male.—Ivides bright yellow; legs and feet dingy yellow; upper plumage umber brown, edged rufous and centered darker (almost black) on head and nape; upper tail- coverts (a trifle paler than the back,) dark shafted; taila drab brown, narrowly white tipped, with five moderately broad dark brown transverse bars; on both webs of all the feathers, except the outer webs of the external laterals, where they are indistinct, though not altogether wanting, one of the five bars being high up and hidden by the upper tail-coverts; forehead whitish, a conspicuous yellowish white band ; feathers brown shafted, run- ning backwards from top of the eye over ear-coverts, fully one inch long; lores dingy white, a trace of dark line through them to the eve-line under the eye, and terminal halves of ear- coverts reddish or umber brown ; rest of ear-coverts, whole chin, throat and sides of neck pale fulvous, with conspicuous, very narrow, central stripes to feathers; breast and upper abdomen pale buffy, with numerous conspicuous narrow transverse arrow- IN JERDON OR STRAY FEATHERS. 335 head bars; the central portion of the bar bright rufous, the lateral portions dark brown; these bars are much the shape that Sea-gulls are often represented in pictures, the head and body portion of the bar (if I may so express myself), being rufous and the wings dark brown; the sides are very rufous; the lower abdomen and tibial plumes are buffy white, with still narrower transverse arrow-head brown bars; the lower tail- coverts yellowish white, each faintly tipped rufous.—Aume | “ Rough Notes.” 27.—Aquila mogilnik, S. G. Gm. Dimensions.—Males.—Length, 28°5 to 30°5 ; expanse, 69:0 to 76:0; wing, 20°75 to 23°0; tail from vent, 10°5 to 12°5; tarsus, 3°38 to 4:0; bill from gape, 2°13 to 2°63; weight, 4:0 to 5°5 Ibs. Females.—Length, 30°0 to 32°63; expanse, 70:0 to 85:0; wing, 23:0 to 24-5; tail from vent, 12:0 to 14:0; tarsus, 3°75 to 4:06; bill from gape, 2°75 to 3:13; weight, 6:25 to 8°75 bs. This bird has two well-marked stages of plumage. 1st.—The general character of this stage is lineated. The under parts with broader or narrower pale centres to the feathers, and the upper parts with pale central stripes. What I take to be the earliest form of this stage has the head and nape brown; the feathers tipped and margined with pale yellowish brown; the upper back, scapulars and lesser wing- coverts darker brown, most of them showing faint traces of paler centres and tips; and some faintly margined slightly paler, ' The lower back is buffy ; a patch on the rump being mottled with brown; the upper tail-coverts fulvous white; the tail feathers pale wood brown, much abraded with dirty fulvous tips, and showing, towards the bases, traces of a mottled, paler and darker barring. The primary quills are dark brown, almost black ; the secondaries and tertiaries paler and dingier brown, with a mere trace of a fulvous white tipping, but the tertiaries are agood deal mottled with fulvous white; the median and greater wing-coverts are here and there tipped with fulvous white, but many are not so; the chin, throat, sides of the neck, breast and abdomen are pale buffy brown; the feathers mar- gined with darker brown, which latter, however, is very narrow, and almost wanting on most of the throat feathers, while it occupies the greater portion of the feathers on the lower breast and abdomen; the tibial plumes, vent, and lower tail-coverts 336 BIRDS OCCURRING IN INDIA NOT DESCRIBED are dingy reddish buff; the lesser and median lower wing- coverts are reddish buff, more or less centred with brown, and the greater lower wing-coverts are mingled white and blackish brown. The lineation of the lower surface is more obscure and ill-defined than in what I take to be later forms of this same stage. In the next form of this stage, every feather of the head, nape, and upper back is brown, (a sort hair brown,) darker than in the form above described, with a conspicuous narrow fulvous central stripe. All the wing-coverts and sca- pulars are tipped with fulvous or fulvous white; the lesser ones, narrowly, in fact with a mere spot at the tip; the larger ones, more broadly; the rump, back, and upper tail-coverts areas above described; out the tail is a dingy wood brown, without any trace of bars, and broadly tipped with fulvous white. The secondaries are conspicuously tipped with white or ful- vous white; the chin, throat, and ear-coverts are unstreaked fulvous; the breast and upper two-thirds of the abdomen are a warm, somewhat purplish, brown, with conspicuous, well defined narrow central fulvous stripes; the lesser and me- dian lower wing-coverts are more mingled with brown than in the specimen above described; and the larger lower coverts are greyish white, mottled with blackish brown; and the axillaries, which in the form first described, were reddish buff, mottled with brown, are in this one similar to the feathers of the breast. In another form of this stage, the head and back resemble the form first described; the tail and wings, the second ; while the chin, throat and ear-coverts are very pale buff, and the breast and abdomen are of the same colour, each feather narrowly margined with the warm purplish brown. Specimens in this stage vary greatly, independent of the points noted above ; in the colour of the thighs, vent, and lower tail-coverts, (which in some are nearly white, in others rufous buff,) and in the extent and purity of the white, or fulvous white tipping, to the tail and secondaries. The difficulty is, that these various differences do not go together. If the birds be arranged in a series, with reference fo the comparative width of the central stripes of the breast feathers, which width varies, as above noticed, from less than one-fifth to nearly four- fifths of the total width of the feathers; and then turned back upwards, no corresponding progression in the lineation of the upper surface is observable, and in order to obtain a regular series, according to the amount and extent of the lineations of the upper feathers, a totally different arrangement will be necessary: Adopting either of these arrangements, we shall still have no regular progression in the extent or purity of IN JERDON OR STRAY FEATHERS. 337 the white tipping of the tail, or secondaries, or in the colour of the lower abdomen, vent, and leg feathers. Two birds, whose heads, necks, and upper backs correspond, differ entirely where the lower plumage, or perhaps tail-feathers are concerned, and vice versd. It is clear, therefore, that some birds change first below, others above, some earlier on the heads, and others on the tails, thus rendering the determina- tion of the comparative priority of the various forms doubly difficult. The adult stage is well known. The whole head, nape, cheeks, ear-coverts, and sides of the neck buff or orange buff ; the back, scapulars, (except a few which are pure white) upper tail-coverts, wing-coverts, primaries and secondaries, chin, throat, breast, abdomen, leg feathers, sides, axillaries, and wing- lining deep blackish brown ; the lesser wing-coverts margin- ed, and the upper tail-coverts tipped, with fulvous white; the lower tail-coverts white and a good deal of white mottling about the tertiaries, which are a pale brown; the tail grey, with a very broad terminal black band, occupying fully two- fifths of its visible surface, and above this,a number of more or less broad, irregular mottled and imperfect transverse dark brown bands, which sometimes do, and sometimes do not, coincide exactly at the shaft. This is what I take to be the perfect adult. In less advanced examples of this stage, the forehead, and more or less of the crown, are blackish brown ; the feathers of the chin and throat, as well as the upper breast, are margined, more or less broadly, with the same orange buff as the head and nape. The axillaries and lower wing-coverts are more or less mottled with rufous, the lower tail-coverts with rufous brown: and the ground colour of the tail, above the black tip, is pale yellowish stone colour rather than grey; the upper tail- coverts likewise are paler brown, and more broadly tipped with fulvous white. In this stage, too, the changes are not synchronous—birds most advanced about the head being often least so about the tails; those most advanced on the upper, least so on the under surface, and vice versd. The amount of white on the scapulars, too, varies greatly. Some have only a single feather, others nearly the whole scapulars white, and I have some specimens, perfect adults, as regards the plumage on every other point, but exhibiting no trace whatsoever of white on the scapulars.—JZume, “ Rough Notes.” 308 BIRDS OCCURRING IN INDIA NOT DESCRIBED 27 bis.— Aquila nipalensis, Hodgs. Dimensions much as in A. mogilnik. This species also has two very distinct stages of plumage. First ; the leading character of this first stage is to have two conspicuous white, or fulvous white, wing bands ; the whole of the head, neck, chin, throat, back, lesser scapulars, lesser wing- coverts, breast, abdomen, sides, lex feathers, axillaries, wing- lining, except the greater lower wing-coverts, are a nearly uni- form brown; the upper tail-coverts are clear, slightly yellow- ish white ; the tail dark brown, more or less conspicuously tip- ped with fulvous white, and with or without narrow, trans- verse, irregular, grey bands; the quills and greater wine- coverts are dark brown, the latter with the secondaries and tertiaries broadly tipped with fulvous white; the greater lower wing-coverts are pure white, or white mingled with brown, slightly darker than the rest of the wing-lining. The specimens in this stage vary greatly in the prevailing shade of brown; some are very pale, almost whity brown, others moderately pale hair brown; some are entirely destitute of bars on the tail, others exhibit them conspicuously ; and in the specimens before me the very lightest bird, and one of the darkest, have no bars whatsoever on the tail ; the lower tail- coverts, in almost all the specimens, are white, or slightly ful- vous white; but in one specimen they are mottled with the same brown as the rest of the lower parts. In some, the pale tippings to the tail feathers are obsolete, in others, conspicuous; the lesser and median lower wing= coverts, in one or two specimens, are narrowly tipped with white; generally they are of the same uniform brown, as the breast, abdomen, etc. In both these forms, the lower surface of the primaries are but faintly mottled with greyish white. Some specimens again are met with, changing to the next form ; in these the wing bands have nearly disappeared ; the tail feathers show the irregular, narrow bars more strongly than in any of the others; the whole of the crown is darker, the pale tipping of the tail is almost obsolete ; many of the median lower wing-coverts are rufous buff, and the longer scapulars, and a few of the feathers of the back, are a deep chocolate brown. The second stage is characteristically of a dark hair, or even at times umber brown, darkest above, and chocolate brown on the scapulars, with no pale bands on the wings or tips to the tail feathers, and with numerous narrow, transverse, irregu- lar grey bars on the latter; and with much brown mingled with the lower tail-coverts. IN JERDON OR STRAY FEATHERS. 339 Some specimens show traces of the wing bars, characteristic of the preceding stage, but the more adult of them show more or less of a reddish buff patch on the nape and pale margins to the lesser wing-coverts. A good many, which I suppose to be those nearest to the first form, besides showing traces of the wing bars, have all the fea- thers of the lower abdomen narrowly tipped with dingy ful- vous white. That this is really the adult stage there can be no doubt ; but even here the changes are most confusing, because one bird for instance, having a most conspicuous orange buff patch on the nape, has the whole of the upper tail-coverts a clear fulvous white, as in the first stage; while another, though of a deeper brown, shows no trace of buff upon the nape, and has the upper tail-coverts uniform blackish brown, as in the adult. The wing-lining also varies very much in thisstage. In some, and these by no means the most advanced, it is alto- gether deep brown, as in the perfect adult, while in others, by no means the least advanced, it is a rufous buff, or a rufous buff mingled with dark brown; in one, and that a bird show- ing the incipient orange buff head, they are precisely as in the second stage; the lesser and median lower wing-coverts being uniform pale hair brown, and the larger lower wing-coverts white.-—Aume, “ Rough Notes.” 28 bis.—Aquila fulvescens, Gray, The following isa description of a young, just adult male ; older birds assume a much more ruddy ferruginous plumage and are less buffy ; as in A. clanga, the nostrils are circular :— Male.—Length, 26°5 ; expanse, 61:0 ; weight, in lbs., 3:94 ; bill, width at gape, 1-69 ; wing, 19-25 ; length of tail from vent, 10°63 ; tarsus, 4°06 ; bill from gape, 2°28. Feet pale dingy yellow; claws darkish brown; iris pale yellowish brown ; the whole lower mandible and basal half of upper mandible greyish white, with a tinge of blue ; tip of upper mandible horny brown; cere and gape pale dingy ellow. i Plumage.—The whole head, throat, neck all round, breast, sides, abdomen, and thigh-coverts, a pure buff; most of the feathers darker shafted, and those of the top of the head con- spicuously so ; a narrow dusky, ill-defined, supercilium running backwards over and behind the ear-coverts ; upper back and scapulars light brown, the longest of the latter only some- 340 BIRDS OCCURRING IN INDIA NOT DESCRIBED what darker, and all but these broadly margined with fulvous white, and with the margins much abraded ; the middle of the back buff, the bases of the feathers white, and showing through ; the feathers of the rump light brown, broadly margined with buffy white and white ; the upper tail-coverts pure white ; the tail brown, paler towards the tips, the mar- gins of which are almost white ; the lesser and median coverts light brown, each broadly margined with buff towards the base, and white towards the tip. The greater coverts, except those of the first three or four primaries, a rather darker brown than the median, maregined towards the tips with white, and those of the last three prima- ries margined with white, the whole way up the outer webs. The first seven primaries blackish brown, but the outer webs above the marginations a redder brown; the last three pri- maries not only tipped with white, but with a broad white margin all the way up the outer webs; the winglet, the greater coverts of the first three primaries, and the secondaries a rich umber brown, showing, in some lights, a purple gloss; the secondaries narrowly tipped with white; the axillaries, and the whole of the lower lesser wing-coverts and median coverts, except just at the carpal joint, a warmer buff than even the breast, a sort of rufous salmon colour I might almost call it; feathers below the vent and lower tail-coverts a slightly buffy white; longest thigh-coverts and tarsus feathers dirty fulvous, or buffy white.-—Aume,“ Rough Notes.” 39 bis.—Spilornis melanotis, Jerd. The Southern Indian Harrier Eagle differs perceptibly from S. cheela of Upper India; the wings of the latter vary in the males from 18°5 to nearly 20 inches, and in the females from 19°5 to nearly 21; while in this present species they vary in the males from 17 to barely 18 imches, and in the females from 18 to 18:5 inches ; the lower parts also are somewhat less conspicuously ocellated, and the barring on the breast, so conspicuous in adult cheela, is almost entirely wanting. Mr. Blanford, to whom I owe one specimen, suggest- ed that this might be S. spilogaster, of Blyth, and I myself at one time adopted this view, but Blyth himself identifies this with S. elgini, of Tytler, which however he then con- sidered the same as bacha, and in none of which the wing exceeds 15 inches. Moreover, Blyth remarks of his species that it has a ‘less developed crest, and much less of black IN JERDON OR STRAY FEATHERS. 341 upon the crown; the tail markings quite different, having the black subterminal band conspicuously less broad.”? Now this is in no way applicable to our present species, which, taking the relative sizes of the two into consideration, has quite as fully a developed crest, quite as much black on the crown, and very nearly, if not quite as broad, a subterminal tail band. This species cannot possibly therefore be S. spilogaster, and must stand under Jerdon’s name. S. albidus, Cuvier, which has been suggested as applicable to this species, pretty clearly applies to the northern form, S. cheelua—Hume, “ Nests and Eggs.” 42 bis—Haliaetus albicillus, Lin. Immature specimens of this species are most commonly obtained in India ; the following are dimensions and description of a pair of immature birds. In the adults the. wholly white tail is very conspicuous. Immature Birds :— Male.—Length, 32°8 ; expanse, 86:25 ; wing, 24°8; tail from vent, 12°5; tarsus, 3°52 ; bill from gape, 2°6. Female,—Length, 34:0 ; expanse, 88-0 ; wing, 26:0; tail from vent, 13:0; tarsus, 4:2 ; bill from gape, 3:05. The fourth primary is the longest ; the third is sub-equal ; the second is 1°4 shorter ; the first 4°5, and the fifth, 0°6 shorter. Exterior tail feathers—male, 1:4, female 2°2, shorter than the central ones. Description.—Male—The legs and feet were bright orange yellow ; the gape and a portion of the cere yellow ; the upper portion of the cere yellowish brown ; bill blackish horny ; the head, nape, cheeks, ear-coverts and sides of the neck hair brown; all tbe feathers white at their bases ; in some for the basal half, in some for fully the basal two-thirds, but very little of the white showing through, the feathers being densely set ; all the feathers of these parts long and linear, those of the . occiput especially ; the back of the neck, the whole of the back and rump, scapulars and wing-coverts, except the greater primary coverts, as well as the feathers of the breast and ab- domen a warm buffy fawn colour, changing to white at their bases, and more or less broadly tipped with hair brown ; the longer scapulars and the upper tail-coverts, which latter are very broad and come down to within some four half inches of the tip of the tail, a mixture of yellowish and hair brown, mottled and freckled with white and yellowish white ; tail, which is df 342 BIRDS OCCURRING IN INDIA NOT DESCRIBED very wedge-shaped, reminding one of that of the Lammer- geyer dark brown, mottled all over with dingy yellowish white, which colour predominates on the inner webs; the quills, winglet, and greater primary-coverts chcco- late brown; the second to the fifth primaries conspicuously emarginate on the outer web, and with a grey silvery tinge above the emarginations ; the first to the fifth primaries con- spicuously notched on the inner webs; the chin and throat pale buffy brown; the feathers whitish at the base and darker at the tips; the flanks and thigh-coverts pale yellowish brown, the feathers tipped darker; the lower tail-coverts dingy white, | broadly tipped with brown, which, in the longer ones, is a dark hair brown; in the shortera dull yellowish brown; wing-lining a sort of umber brown; the bases of all the feathers paler, some of them fawn coloured, and some of them white. Female.—The legs, feet, cere and gape a sort of brownish yellow; the upper mandible and claws blackish horny; the tip of the lower mandible yellowish horny ; the whole of the head, nape, sides of the neck, cheeks, chin, and throat pale yellowish brown ; the feathers white, tipped with yellowish brown, which, owing to the feathers being closely set, is the predomi- nant colour, especially on the top of the head; the ear-coverts a darker brewn; the whole of the back of the neck, back, rump, and upper tail-coverts, breast, sides, abdomen, vent, and lower tail-coverts, white, comparatively narrowly tipped with yellowish brown, and many of the feathers, with a narrow linear ovate, hair brown shaft spot near the tip. Asin the male the upper tail-coverts are ovate lanceolate, very broad and long, and reach to within less than six inches of the end of the long wedge-shaped tail, most of the scapulars and the tail-feathers are a mixture of dull dark and pale dingy yellowish brown, everywhere mottled and freckled with dirty white, which occu- pies almost the whole of the inner webs of the lateral tail- feathers ; the wing-coverts, except the greater primary-coverts, are wood brown, showing little or nothing of the white bases ; most of the tertiaries are mottled white, and dingy yellowish brown, like the tail; the secondaries are adull, slightly rufous brown, much mottled on the interior webs with white, and the primaries are dark chocolate brown, greyish above the emar- ginations; some of the primary greater coverts are dark chocolate brown, and others are a pale rufous brown. From Jeucoryphus this species differs, first, in the much deeper and far less sinuated upper mandible ; second inthe tarsus, feathered in front, for from five-eighths to three-fifths of the length ; third in the excessively rounded, or in fact wedge-shaped tail; and fourth in the very long and broad upper tail-coverts. IN JERDON OR STRAY FEATHERS. 343 I append full descriptions and measurements taken from Macgillivray :— “ Male.—The cere and bill are pale yellow; the iris bright yellow ; the tarsi and toes gamboge; the claws black, with a tinge of greyish blue ; the plumage of the head, neck, forepart of the back and breast, with the upper wing-coverts greyish yellow ; the feathers all greyish brown at the base; of the other parts greyish brown, edged with yellowish grey; the scapulars and feathers of the rump glossed with purple ; those of the ab- domen, tibia, and subcaudal region inclining to chocolate brown ; the quills and alular feathers brownish black, with a tinge of grey ; the inner secondaries inclining to greyish brown ; the shafts of all white towards the base; the lower surface of the quills, and the large coverts tinged with greyish blue ; the upper tail-coverts and the tail are white (generally freckled with dusky grey at the base) ; the down on the breast is pale grey, that on the sides darker. “Length to end of tail, 36 inches; extent of wing, 72; bill along the ridge, 3-41; along the edge of lower mandible, 3; its height, 1-41; wing from flexure, 24; tail, 11-5 ; tarsus, 4. “ Female.—The female does not differ from the male in colour, and her superiority in size is often not very remarkable. “Length to end of tail, 40 inches; extent of wings, 80; bill along the ridge, 3°91; along the edge of lower mandible, 3:33 ; its height, 1°66 ; wing from flexure, 27:5; tail, 12; tarsus, 45. “ Young.—The bill is brownish black; the base of the lower mandible yellow ; the cere greenish yellow; the feet yellow; the claws black; the bases of all the feathers are brownish white; their middle parts light reddish brown; their tips only blackish brown; the head and nape are dark brown, each feather with a minute brownish white spot on the tip; on the middle of the back and on the wings, light reddish brown is the prevalent colour ; the black tips of comparatively small extent; on the third part of the back there is much white, that colour extend- ing farther from the base ; the quills and larger wing-coverts are blackish brown, with a tinge of grey ; the tail-feathers brownish white in the centre, black towards the margins, with irregular white dots ; the lower parts are of the same colour as the back, or are pale reddish brown, marked with longitudinal streaks and spots of dark brown; the lower wing-coverts brown ; the tail- coverts white, with light brown tips. “ Progress towards Maturity.—In the second year the young exhibits little difference, being however of a darker tint on the back and wings. An individual at this age has the bill brownish black, tinged with blue ; its base and the cere greenish yellow; the iris hazel brown; the feet gamboge; the claws 344 BIRDS OCCURRING IN INDIA NOT DESCRIBED brownish black; the head and nape are dark brown; the base of all the feathers on the upper parts is white; on the hind neck and foreparts of the back that colour, tinged with yellow- ish brown, prevails, a lanceolate or obovate deep brown spot being on each feather towards the end; on the middle of the back the brown prevails, on the hind part white, and the rump and upper tail-coverts are light brown, tipped with darker; the scapulars are dark brown, with a purplish tinge; the wing- coverts dark brown at the end, but most of the larger pale brown in the greater part of their extent; the quills black, with a purplish grey tinge; the secondaries gradually becoming more. brown, and all faintly variegated with light grey and brown on the inner webs ; the tail is brownish black, with a tinge of grey, and more or less finely mottled with whitish ; the lower parts may be described as brownish white, longitudinally streaked with dark brown, there being a lanceolate patch of the latter on each feather; the lower wing-coverts and feathers of the legs dark brown; the lower surface of the quills bluish grey; the Jower tail-coverts white, tipped with brown ; the down on the breast pure white. “ Remarks.—In this species the bill and iris change from dusky brown to pale yellow, and the plumage at first white at the base, and dark brown at the end, gradually loses its white, while the dark parts become paler and more extended, the final colouring being more uniform. “The tail forms no exception, for its basal white also dimi- nishes ; but the white, which is gradually substituted for the brownish black, spreads from near the end to the base.” —-Hume, “ Rough Notes.” — ; 56 quat—Milvus migrans, Bodd. Adult Male.—Crown, sides of the head, and nape white; the forehead narrowly, and the other parts broadly, striped with blackish brown; upper parts dark hair brown, with a metallic gloss on the back; the feathers on the hind neck with dark central stripes; those of the wing-coverts and a few of the scapulars with lighter edges; primaries black, excepting some of the inner ones, which are deep brown; secondaries blackish brown ; the inner ones assimilating in colour to the back; tail like the back, but slightly duller and a trifle grey in tinge, and with scarcely perceptible darker bars, being also but slightly forked ; throat dull white, striped with blackish brown ; breast clove-brown with blackish stripes ; rest of the under parts IN JERDON OR STRAY FEATHERS. 345 deep ferruginous, each feather with a dark shaft-line; under wing-coverts rufous, varied with deep brown; bill blackish horn, yellowish at the base of the lower mandible ; cere pale yellow; iris greyish, with a yellow tinge surrounded by a black line; legs pale yellow; claws black. Total length about 2: inches; culmen, 1°6; wing, 17:0; tail, 11:2; tarsus, 2°25. Female.—Resembles the male, but is somewhat larger in size, rather darker and a trifle more rufous in yeneral colora- tion. Young.—Upper parts of a much duller brown than the adult; the feathers tipped with yellowish white, which gives it a very spotted appearance ; crown and nape with these terminal spots much larger, so as almost to hide the rest of the feathers ; throat brownish white, the feathers with dark shafts; rest of the underparts dull dark brown, becoming dull reddish brown on the abdomen, every feather with the terminal portion, except on the edge, dull honey-colour, which gives the under parts the appearance of being marked with elongated oval spots of this latter colour; quills and tail as in the adult ; but the latter is tipped with dull brownish white, and the bars are more conspicuous.—Dresser, “ Birds of Europe.” 68 d¢s.—Nyctea scandiaca, Lin. Adult Male.—Absolutely snowy white above and below, with only a few remains of longitudinal brown spots on the hinder part of the crown and on the wing-coverts, the quills with also a few remains of bars; tail pure white, with a small brown spot remaining near the tip of the centre feathers; bill and claws blackish horn-colour ; iris deep yellow. Total length, 23 inches ; wing, 16°7 ; tail, 9°6 ; tarsus about 2:1. Female.—Total length, 26 inches; wing, 18:3; tail, 10; tarsus about 2°'5. Immature Male in second year’s Plumage.—General colour above pure white ; the head almost immaculate, and only show- ing one or two dusky brown markings ; the hind neck with a larger number of brown barred feathers; back and wing- coverts transversely barred with pale dusky brown, less dis- tinctly characterized on the primary and outermost greater coverts ; quills pure white, with a few more or less distinet spots of pale brown on the outer web ; the inner web of the longest primaries having also some brown bars near the tip of the inner webs ; the innermost secondaries obscurely clouded with pale brown ; the cross bars very indistinct on all of these; 346 BIRDS. OCCURRING IN INDIA NOT DESCRIBED lower back, rump, and upper tail-coverts pure white, with here and there remains of pale brown cross markings, more distinct on the tail-coverts ; tail itself pure white, the two outer feathers on each side unspotted, the rest having three rows of brown markings near the tips ; forehead and entire face and throat pure unspotted white ; rest of under surface of body white, narrowly barred with dusky brown, these bars narrowing on the lower parts of the body, and being absent on the under tail-coverts and leg feathers, the plumes on the latter complete- ly hiding the entire foot and even the nails; under wing- coverts pure white, as is also the inner lining of the quills, with the exception of a few dusky brown spots near the tips. Total length, 20°5 inches ; wing, 16-7 ; tail, 9:1; tarsus about 2°35. The young birds are strongly barred, and these bars dis-. appear as the individuals advance in age. The females seem never to get as free from transverse markings as the males ; or, at all events, if they ever become pure white, they take a longer time to lose the karred plumage ; and in numerous other families of birds this is also known to be the case.—Sharpe’s Catalogue. 68 ter.—Bubo ignavus, [orst. Adult Male.—General colour, above blackish, mottled and varied with yellowish tawny colour; head blackish, the tawny vermiculations being confined to the terminal margins and a few lateral bars on each side of the feather, so that the centre of the latter remains blackish ; ear-tufts black, 3:2 inches long, excepting near the basal half of the inner web of the interior plumes, which are tawny buff, with narrow blackish vermi- culations; nape and hind neck much paler than the crown, the feathers being for the most part tawny buff, with broad black centres, from which spring on each side narrow black transvermiculating lines; back again darker, the feathers being mostly black ; the half concealed bases tawny buff, vermi- culated and irrorated coarsely with black; scapulars whitish externally or fulvous, sparingly transvermiculated with black, and forming an indistinct shoulder-patch ; wing-coverts black- ish; the least series very slightly varied with tawny buff; the median and greater series more frequently mottled with this character, the latter whitish at tip, with narrow irregular cross lines of black, forming an indistinct bar across the wing ; pri- mary coverts blackish, only slightly mottled with fulvous near the base of the outer web; quills dark brown, regularly barred IN JERDON OR STRAY FEATHERS. 347 with tawny buff; all the bars very minutely dotted with black on the outer web ; the inner web for the most part tawny, most irregularly mottled with wavy lines, dots, and markings of black ; the secondaries not so distinctly barred with tawny buff; all the lighter spots on the outer web obscured by minute spots and markings of dark brown; the inner webs much more plainly barred with tawny ; none of these bars, however, being without brown vermiculations ; the innermost secondaries black- ish, mottled with fulvous all over ; the tip whitish, as also of the secondaries; lower back, rump and upper tail-voverts more tawny than the back, the former coarsely barred, and the latter vermiculated with blackish, especially on the tail-coverts, which are whitish at tip; tail brown, the centre feathers vermi- culated all round the margins with fulvous, and having three or four irregularly indicated bands, consisting of a few whitish spots of irregular shape; all the other feathers more or less distinctly barred with deep-tawny buff; the inner webs for the most part bright tawny, with irregular lines of blackish, more thickly distributed towards the tips of the feathers, which are here thickly, though minutely, spotted with brown, as are all the tawny bands on the other webs ; lores and feathers in front of and below the eye whitish, with narrow blackish shaft-lines ; above the eye a patch of black feathers; sides of face dull tawny, irrorated with narrow circular bars of brown; sides of neck coloured like the hind neck, but less strongly marked; chin pure white, as also the foreneck, separated from each other by a narrow cordon of tawny feathers centered with black, and having small lateral bars of the same; crop covered with tawny buff down, succeeded by a patch of white feathers in the centre of the breast; rest of under surface of body light tawny buff, most of the feathers with a slight glistening of silvery white, all of the chest-feathers very broad- ly streaked down the centre with black, and likewise laterally spotted or barred with irregular lines of black, these central black streaks much narrower on the breast and abdomen, which are likewise very regularly, though narrowly, barred across with blackish; under tail-coverts deep tawny, barred across with narrow lines of black; leg-feathers deep tawny, with irregular transverse washings of blackish; under wing- coverts tawny, the inner ones whitish, with narrow zig-zag cross lines of black; the lower series brown, tawny at base; inner lining of wing dull brown, barred with tawny buff on inner webs, most of the quills entirely tawny buff at base of the latter, more orless minutely speckled with brown ; bill and claws blackish horn-colour ; iris rich orange. Total length, 26 inches ; wing, 18°6; tail, 11:2 ; tarsus, 3-2. 348 BIRDS OCCURRING IN INDIA NOT DESCRIBED Young Female in first year’s Plumage.—Very similar to the adults, and presenting few appreciable differences; many of the feathers of the upper surface glossed with silvery white, the light mottlings being larger on many of the dorsal fea- thers ; middle tail-feathers more coarsely and distinctly mottled with whitish, affording indications of five ill-defined. bars ; upper wing-coverts much blacker than in the adults, with fewer transverse vermiculations. Total length, 27 inches; wing, 19-4 ; tail, 11°5 ; tarsus, 3:2. Observations.—The descriptions are taken from Swedish speci- mens, carefully sexed and dated, and specimens from the same country show very little differences. On the other hand, two examples from Archangel are much blacker on the upper surface generally, the head and neck very bright orange buff, with the usual broad black mesial streaks; the under surface _ of the body is also much paler.—Sharpe’s Catologue. 68 quat.—Bubo turcomanus, Lversm. Adult.—General colour above pale tawny buff, many of the feathers inclining to whitish; head whitish ; the feathers yellow- ish at base, all rather broadly centered with black, from which dark centres radiate irregular lines and spots of black ; nape and hind neck light yellowish buff ; many feathers whitish, all with broad black central streaks, the lateral lines or vermicula- tions very indistinct, in fact almost entirely absent ; back blackish brown, yellowish buff at base, and shading off distinct- ly white in the centre of the feathers ; all the lighter parts of the dorsal feathers narrowly waved and minutely barred or spotted with blackish ; outer scapulars white on external webs, with only two or three narrow zig-zag bars of blackish ; wing- coverts tawny buff, obscured by brownish mottlings, thickly distributed over all the least series and the innermost of the median and greater series ; the outermost of the median row uniform brownish black towards the tips, which more or less incline to white, most of the greater series having a large white spot at the tip of the outer web, which has very few and narrow cross lines of black ; primary coverts blackish brown, irregular- ly mottled with yellowish buff on the outer webs; quills for the most part clear tawny buff, almost orange in intensity ; the primaries dusky brown at tips ; all the quills distinctly barred with darker brown, not quite conterminous ; the yellow inter- spaces with nothing more than a few minute dots of brown ; the secondaries moredusky than the primaries, the light inter- IN JERDON OR STRAY FRATHERS., 349 spaces being clouded with coarse brown vermiculations, especi- ally towards the tip ; the imnermost secondaries very much clouded with brown mottlings, and distinctly barred across with blackish brown ; lower back, rump, and upper tail-coverts, with a few indistinct wavy lines of blackish brown, rather more distinct and strongly characterized on the upper tail- coverts ; tail yellowish buff, whitish at tip and reeularly barred with dark brown, of which about eight bars (some partly broken up) ean be distinguished on the outer feathers, the two centre ones more dusky than the rest, and crossed with six or seven bands of dusky brown, often much dissolved and mingled with the interspaces, which are thickly mottled and vermiculat- ed with brown ; lores and feathers round the eye white, the former black at the tip of the shafts ; just above the eye a patch of black feathers, continued to, and appearing to form part of, the ear-tufts which are 3°2 inches long, and black with tawny bases ; the long feathers uniform yellowish buff on the inner web, and barred with black near the base of the outer; ear- coverts dull fulvous, with indistinct brown cross-barrings; chin pure white ; the throat encircled by a row of slightly recurved feathers, yellowish buff, streaked down the centre with black, and also laterally barred with narrow lines of the same, exact- ly resembling the plumes on the sides of the neck, of which this gular band seems a continuation ; rest of under surface white, slightly washed here and there with yellowish ; the breast feathers broadly streaked down the centre with black, all these feathers slightly varied with lateral vermiculations of brown ; the central streaks reduced to a narrow shaft line on the abdo- minal feathers and flanks, these being, however, finely but regularly barred across with dark brown, disappearing on the under tail-coverts ; crop covered with tawny down, succeeded by a patch of pure white feathers in the centre of the breast ; leg feathers buffy white, with a few remains of brown zig-zag bars on the outer aspect ; under wing-coverts pure white, here and there washed with yellowish , the outermost slightly marked with irregular lines of brown ; the axillaries being also crossed with narrow lines of the same ; lower series ashy brown, yel- lowish buff at base, forming a bar across the wing ; inner lining of quills for the most part orange buff, with a few dis- tinct brown bars on the inner web, disappearing towards the tip of the quills, which are there dusky brown. Total length, 26 inches ; wing, 19 ; tail, 11:2 ; tarsus, 3:4. Observations.—This bird, if not quite specifically distinct from B. ignavus, undoubtedly constitutes a well-marked race of that snecies. It is a very much paler bird both above and below, being especially white on the under surface, the cross barrings 45 350 BIRDS OCCURRING IN INDIA NOT DESCRIBED on the abdominal plumes being much fewer and further apart ; the legs also are covered with white feathers, which extend further on the foot and cover the junction of the toes and claws ; the tail is different also—in B. ignavus, the two central feathers being brown, with faintly indicated bands of fulvous vermicu- lations, whereas in B. t¢urcomanus the prevailing colour of these feathers is tawny buff, about eight cross bands of brown being distinguishable, while, instead of the lateral feathers being barred with deep tawny and brown in about equal proportions, as in B. ignavus,in B. turcomanus these feathers are orange-buff, narrowly crossed with about eight bars of brown. The same differences are seen in the wing, the prevail- ing colour being orange-buff, in the quill-lining of B. turco- manus. In the under wing-coverts there is also a difference ; these being barred across in B. ingnavus like the breast, where- as in the Siberian Owl they are nearly uniform. ‘The differ- ences in the upper surface of the two birds chiefly consist in the entirely paler colour of B. turcomanus, the tawny buff colour predominating.—Sharpe’s Catalogue. 74 B.—Scops rufipennis, Sharpe. Of the Scops giu group, and very closely allied to S. malaya- nus, and resembling it in the dusky grey ear-coverts but distinguished by the absence of the white ocellations on the hind-neck and of the bars on the centre tail-feathers, and more especially by its rufous quills. The following is a description of the type :— Adult.—General aspect of upper surface more uniform than is usual in species of this genus, being of a dusky greyish _ brown; the feathers being blackish in the centre, but scarcely to be called streaked, excepting on the forepart of the crown, where the black shafts are very broad and distinct, all the feathers of the upper surface so finely pencilled with dark- brown as to appear almost uniform, with here and there a few sandy-coloured mottlings, more distinct on the head, to which they impart a slightly spotted appearance; the collar on the hind neck very indistinct ; some of the feathers being barred with fulvous, and crossed with narrow bars of blackish; on the scapulars the blackish cross lines a little more coarsely defined than on the back, washed with orange-buff, and having the outer web pure white, tipped with black, forming a conspicuous shoulder-patch ; wing-coverts greyish like the back, the vermi- culations very faint and often obsolete on the greater series, IN JERDON OR STRAY FEATHERS. 351 which have rather large white spots on the outer-web ; the me- dian coverts coarsely vermiculated with sandy buff ; the feathers with blackish shaft-streaks ; the least series rufous with obscure . blackish cross-vermiculations; the outermost of the greater series and the primary coverts strongly rufescent, almost chest- nut in tone, the latter finely vermiculated with blackish; inner- most secondary quills coloured like the back, and finely vermi- culated in the same manner, their centres streaked with dusky blackish along the shaft; the rest of the quills rufous, barred with dusky brown, these bars more or less vermiculated ; the inner webs almost entirely dusky-brown, barred with pale ru- fous, inclining to yellowish on the inner web ; the rufous bars on the outer web of the primaries inclining to white, and _pro- ducing a somewhat chequered appearance; upper tail-coverts exactly like the back, the centre tail-feathers likewise strongly resembling the upper surface, inasmuch as they are without any distinct trace of cross bars ; the outer feathers dark-brown, vermiculated with sandy rufous, and crossed with seven bars of rufous ; the subterminal one very indistinct, and lost in the vermiculations at the tips ; the light bars inclining to white on the outer edge of the external webs; loral plumes whitish, the shafts black, and produced into long hair-like bristles ; feathers over the eye buffy white, tipped with blackish; sides of face dusky grey, indistinctly varied with fine cross lines of dull brown ; behind the ear-coverts a tolerably distinct ruff of orange- buff feathers, broadly tipped with black; this ruff extending across the throat, but the feathers here finely barred with blackish; chin-feathers dull white; chest dull orange-buff, the feathers broadly centred with black and crossed with a few narrow zig-zag lines of brown, and vermiculated with the same at the tips, many of the feathers inclining to white; on the breast and the rest of the lower parts the white predominates, many of the feathers only having a few zig-zag markings of brown, on many of them a strong tinge of rufous with broad black central streaks ; some of the flank-feathers slightly washed with grey ; under tail-coverts almost entirely white, excepting a narrow-shaped mark of rufous or brown near the tip; leo- feathers buffy white; the tarsus slightly streaked with brown ; under wing-coverts fulvous, those near the edge of the wine mottled with brown ; the lower series ashy-brown with yellowish white bases; the quills being also ashy-brown below, but in- clining to rufous near the tips; the bands being entirely of this colour, and fulvous only near the base of the inner webs, Total length, § inches ; wing, 5:1; tail, 27; tarsus, 0°85. Hab.—Eastern Ghauts.—Sharpe’s Catalogue. 302 BIRDS OCCURRING IN INDIA NOT DESCRIBED 74 ter—Scops spilocephalus, Blyth. Dimensions.—Length, 7 to 7-75; expanse, 14°5 to 15; wing, 5:4 to 5°6 ; fourth and fifth primaries the longest; tail, 2°75 ; exterior tail feathers, 0°4 shorter than the interior ; tarsus, 1°2 ; bill from gape, 0°68. Description.—The forehead and a broad stripe over the eye pale rufous white or fawn colour, some of the feathers with a few minute brown spots towards the tip; loral bristles pale fawn colour, more rufous towards the tips, and black a the tips ; feathers under the eye and ear-coverts pale fawn colour, more or less tinged rufous, and freckled and mottled or imper- fectly barred with brown ; the top of the head, back of the neck, back, scapulars, rump, and upper tail-coverts and lesser wing-coverts, with a more or less dark rufous fawn ground, very finely and closely freckled with dark, in some almost black- ish brown, the frecklings becoming confluent towards the tips of all the feathers of the head, and most of the feathers of the lesser wing-coverts, and some of those at the back of the neck producing, especially on the first named parts, a regularly spotted appearance. An irregular, ill-defined broad white or yellowish white half collar at the base of the neck; most of the exterior row of scapulars, with the outer webs, white or yellowish white, and tipped dark brown ; the tail rufous fawn, with about seven broad somewhat freckled transverse brown bars, most strongly marked towards the bases of the feathers, and becoming more or less obsolete towards the tips; the quills rufous fawn, broadly barred and clouded with dusky brown, which, above the tips, suffuses the greater portion of the inner webs ; the rufous fawn being replaced in three or four of the interspaces of the outer webs of the third to the sixth or seven primaries, by slightly rufous or buffy white ; the carpal joint of the wing whitish ; the outer webs of the outer feather of the winglet and the tips of some of the secondary greater and median coverts white or faintly buffy white, with broad irregular brown bars ; the chin and throat rufous white or pale fawn colour, some of the feathers of the throat with narrow, somewhat irreeular transverse brown bars ; and allthe feathers of the ruff tipped with the same colour ; the breast, abdomen and flanks pale rufous white or fawn colour, very thickly freckled and vermiculated with dark brown, most thickly on the breast, somewhat more sparingly so on the abdomen and flanks, the markings becoming confluent in spots towards the tips of some of the feathers ; tarsal plumes more or less ferruginous ; tibial ditto, rufous white ; the whole more or less spotted or obscurely barred with dusky ; IN JERDON OR STRAY FEATHERS. 353 the wing-lining and axillaries silky yellowish white, except towards the edge of the wing near the carpal joint, where the feathers are mingled rufous and dusky brown. The general tone of colouring in some specimen is darker and more rufous, in others paler and more buffy.—Hume, “ Rough Notes.” 74 ter A.—Scops gymnopodus, Gr. Adult (type of species).—Above dull sandy brown, every- where minutely and almost imperceptibly vermiculated with wavy blackish hair-lines; the hind neck with an indistinct collar of orange-buff feathers, mottled at the tips with the same colouring as the back, and marked with blackish in various manners, sometimes as a subterminal bar, sometimes as a toler- ably broad mesial streak; many of the feathers white in the centre; feathers of the crown varied with blackish mesial streaks ; the cross vermiculations being also rather coarser than on the back, all with concealed tawny buff bases, but very few with any indications of a subterminal buff bar, so that the general appearance of the head is very uniform; ear-tufts 1-in. long, of the same colour as the head, but appearing rather lighter by reason of the orange-buff bases, showing more plainly and extending for two-thirds of the inner webs; upper scapu- lars rather more blackish, the lower ones inclining to rufous sandy colour; the vermiculations less distinct aud wider apart, the outermost, for the greater part, white, tipped with a bar of black, forming a very conspicuous shoulder-patch ; wing-coverts darker brown than the back ; the greater and median-coverts paler and rather more rufescent ; the vermiculations, as on the lower scapulars, being less distinct ; the coverts near the edge of the wing notched with white, the median series with large oval white spots on the outer webs; the greater coverts less distinctly spotted with white near the tips; quill dark-brown on the inner-webs ; sandy brown on the outer, with tolerably distinct bars of blackish brown, more or less dissolving into vermiculations; the lighter interspaces becoming notches of white on the outer web of the primaries, and giving a chequer- ed appearance to the external aspect of the wing; the inner- most secondaries light sandy buff, coarsely vermiculated with blackish wavy lines; upper tail-coverts rufous sandy colour, with wavy linear vermiculations, as on the back; tail dark brown, barred with sandy buff, the interspaces more or less mottled with the latter colour towards the tips of the feathers, 304 BIRDS OCCURRING IN INDIA NOT DESCRIBED these, like the extremities of the primaries, being thickly mot- tled with sandy buff; about seven light bars distinguishable on the tail, those on the outer rectrices inclining to whitish towards the margins of both webs; loral plumes. whitish at base, the shafts developing into long hair-like bristles; over the front of the eye a patch of white feathers, each tipped with a terminal bar of blackish; the feathers above the eye with half-concealed white bases, forming an inconspicuous superci- liary mark; ear-coverts greyish white, the feathers round the eye deep sandy brown, with narrow little shaft-streaks of ful- vous ; behind the ear-coverts an indistinct ruff, composed of — orange-buff feathers, terminally barred with black ; the plumes of the cheeks white, with orange-buff centres and a narrow blackish subterminal line; chin whitish; across the throat a continuation of the facial ruff equally indistinct, the feathers being sandy-coloured at tip, with whitish bases and wavy-cross lines of black; chest sandy buff, the centres of the feathers longitudinally blackish ; all the plumes with distinct blackish lateral lines (excepting at the tips, which are minutely vermi- culated), and more or less barred with white, this colour gra- dually extending on the breast and flanks, which are almost entirely white, with blackish or sandy rufous centres to the feathers, all of which are more or less mottled with sandy, and minutely vermiculated with wavy lines near the tips; the under tail-coverts like the belly, but having even less distinct cross vermiculations ; thighs and feathered part of tarsus deep sandy buff, with blnakesth cross lines; under wing-coverts for the most part whitish, with a few blackish cross “lines, those near the outer edge of the wing blackish, slightly mottled with fulvous; the lower series ashy-brown, fulvous at base, like the inner lining of the quills, which is ashy brown, notched on the outer and barred on the inner web with fulvous; bill horn- eolour, yellowish at base of lower mandible; feet apparently yellow in life. Total length, 6-7 inches ; wing, b:1; tail, 2:5): tarsus, 0°85 ; the hinder rape entirely bare, feathered only for 0°45 in front ; the bare part being 0° 4-inch in length. Hab. —India. Observations.—I have given a very careful description of this obscure species, as hitherto it has not been correctly identified by Indian naturalists. Indeed its Indian habitat is by no means certain, as some of Mr. Reeve’s birds came from Malacca and China, and it is just possible that it may have had a wrong loca- lity affixed. Were it not for the exact correspondence of the feathering on both tarsi, the species looks like Scops malayanus with its tarsal feathers rubbed off.—Sharpe’s Catalogue. IN JERDON OR STRAY FEATHERS. 355 74 sex.—Scops malayanus, Hay. Adult.—Above dark brown, freckled with very minute ver- miculations of sandy buff, rather coarser on the scapulars; nearly all the plumes of the upper surface variegated with distinct spots or bars of white, in many cases concealed, but very broad and distinct on the hind part of the neck, where they form a tolerably pronounced collar ; outer scapulars largely marked with sandy buff and white, forming a conspicuous shoulder-patch ; the white predominating on the lower scapu- lars, which are broadly tipped with blackish on the outer web; head rather darker than the back, and slightly washed with greyish; most of the plumes blackish in the centre, and spotted on both webs with sandy buff or whitish; ear-tufts orange- buff, vermiculated with brown towards the tips, and carrying generally a subterminal white spot; wing-coverts rather darker than the back, but rather more rufescent; the mottlings very distinctly rufous sandy colour; the uppermost of the median series externally marked with white spots; the spurious quills also notched with white on the outer web; greater coverts slightly shaded with grey, and largely marked with white on the outer web; primary coverts dark brown, barred indistinctly with frecklings of sandy buff; quills brown, externally barred with pale sandy buff, the tips of both primaries and secondaries thickly mottled with yellowish buff towards the tips ; the primaries externally notched with white; lower back, rump and upper tail-coverts dark brown, thickly vermiculated with sandy rufous, and varied with half concealed sandy spots; tail dark brown, mottled with sandy-buff vermiculations, es- pecially towards the tips of the feathers, and crossed with five sandy bars on the outer tail-feathers, four on the centre ones ; lores whitish, the hair-like elongated shafts blackish at tip; feathers over the front of the eye also white, with narrow blackish tips ; feathers round the eye sandy brown, mottled with blackish ; ear-coverts greyish white, barred across with brown, and having the appearance of being streaked with the latter colour ; behind the ear-coverts an indistinct ruff of orange buff plumes, tipped with black, those on the throat and cheeks white, more narrowly tipped with a line of black; chin white; sides of neck greyish, with very minute blackish vermiculations, and distinctly spotted or barred here and there with white; chest white, the feathers washed with orange-buff and crossed with several zig-zag lines of dark brown, these increasing in number towards the tips of the plumes ; all the cross lines dis- appearing on the rest of the underparts, which are nearly entirely white, some of them showing a dark shaft streak, this 356 BIRDS OCCURRING IN INDIA NOT DESCRIBED being, however, more apparent on some of the feathers of the chest; under tail-coverts pure white, with only the faintest remains of zig-zag lines at the tips of afew of them; thigh- feathers tawny, gradually shading off into white on the tarsus, and distinctly mottled with dark brown cross lines; under wing- coverts yellowish white, the outermost dark brown, spotted with tawny buff, the lower series ashy brown, yellowish at the base, and thus resembling the inner lining of the quills, which are ashy brown, barred with yellowish on the inner web; the outer web of the primaries notched with buff, and the tips of all mottled with dull sandy colour ; bill dull horn-colour ; the under mandible yellowish ; feet apparently yellowish flesh-colour in life. Total length, 7°5 inches ; wing, 5:5 ; tail, 24; tarsus, 1. Rufous phase.—Above tawny rufous, with very fine (almost indistinguishable) vermiculations ; the hind neck mottled with fulvous bars, some of them inclining to white; scapulars exter- rally white, with a blackish terminal bar; some of the greater wing-coverts tipped, and the bastard wing externally notched with white ; the vermiculations rather more coarsely vermiculated with blackish ; quills sandy rufous, externally barred with brown; the primaries notched with white, giving the wing a chequered appearance ; the inner webs brown, notched with fulvous ; tail sandy brown, paler at tip, and crossed with five bands of pale rufous ; head deeper tawny rufous than the back, more strongly mottled with black ; lores and feathers over the forepart of the eye whitish, narrowly tipped with dusky, the lores shaded with rufous ; sides of face and ear-coverts greyish, indistinctly barred across with black; chin whitish ; sides of neck and chest sandy orange, mottled with brown, and with more or less concealed bars of white; the breast orange, slightly vermiculated and barred with white; the black streaks to the centres of the feathers very broad, less so on the abdomen and flanks; the lower parts of the body being white as in the brown phase; the vermiculations not numerous on the belly and disappearing on the under tail- coverts; bill dusky, yellowish on the under mandible. Total length, 7 inches ; wing, 5:35; tail, 2°6; tarsus, 0°95. Observations.—This is a very well-marked form of the Scops giu group, and is by no means so very different in appearance from S. capensis ; but it is chiefly remarkable for the ocellated appearance of the head and hind neck, the iatter having very broad white bars, so as to form a striking contrast to the head and back; the ear-coverts are dusky as in S. stictonotus. The character of the under surface is peculiar, and has been well commented on by Lord Walden in his original description :— “The under surface is distinctly divided into two equal por- tions—the first, including the chin, throat, and breast, being IN JERDON OR STRAY FEATHERS. 357 wood-brown, mottled with a little white, light rufous, and black, irregularly distributed ; the lower division, including the belly, vent, thigh-coverts, and under tail-coverts is white, speckled with deep brown and light rufous.””—Sharpe’s Cata- logue. 75.—Scops lettia, Hodgs. Two comparatively large species of Scops Owls are found in the Himalayas—the first L. lettia, altogether paler and some- what more rufous in its tint, with toes quite bare or only just overhung at their bases by the feet feathers; and the second Z. plumipes, altogether a darker and browner bird, with the toes feathered, (not bristled, as in carine in some specimens, half way down the terminal joints, and in all to the end of the subterminal one. Jn size they do not differ greatly, but Jetéza seems some- what the bulkier bird, and plumipes to have the longest wings and most powerful claws. Dimensions (of lettia.\—Length, 10 to 10°5; expanse, 19 to 20 ; wing, 6°6 to 7:2; fourth and fifth primaries the longest ; tail, 3:2: longest tail feathers exceed shortest, which are the exterior ones, by 0:2; tarsus, which is densely and fully fea- thered, 1:4 to 1°5 ; bill straight from edge of cere, 0°6 to 0°7 ; from gape, 1:0 to 1-05. Description.—The feet in some greenish horny, in some yel- lowish fleshy ; bill yellowish. horny, brown at tip and on side of upper mandible and edge of lower mandible. Piumage.—The forehead, a broad streak over the eye run- ning down the interior webs of the aigrettes, feathers under the eye and most of the ear-coverts, loral bristles and chin, white, with a greyish or yellowish tinge ; most of the fea- thers tipped, and some imperfectly barred with dark brown ; the ear-coverts in most specimens much suffused with rufous, and the longest of them broadly tipped with a deep umber brown, which tippings form a continuation of the ruff band; the whole of the top of the head and back of the neck, and the exterior webs of the aigrettes, back, scapulars, tertiaries, lesser wing-coverts, rump, and upper tail- coverts with a rufous fawn, or in some buffy yellow ground colour, everywhere (except on the outer webs of the outer scapulars, and in a broad irregular half collar at the base of the neck,) very closely and finely freckled, or irregularly barred with minute zig-zag lines of dark brown; many of the feathers, especially of the head and aigrettes, with large deep 46 398 BIRDS OCCURRING IN INDIA NOT DESCRIBED brown blotches or irregular stripes or spots towards the tips, confined in the aigrettes to the outer webs ; in some specimens these dark brown spots are peculiarly conspicuous on the tips of the comparatively unmarked feathers, which form the irregular half collar already referred to; the outer webs of the quills have the same ground colour, but as usual, palest on the first few primaries, with five or six broad irregular mottled and im- perfect transverse brown bars, which are continued as perfect bars on to the inner webs, where the interspaces are much mottled, and instead of having the clear fawn coloured or buffy tint of the outer webs are much suffused with brown, and towards the bases become almost obsolete; the outer webs of the secondaries also have the buffy portions much freckled and mottled with brown; the tail might perhaps be best described as brown, with five or six imperfect and irregular transverse rufous fawn bars; the interspaces much freckled with the same colour, the brown predominating at the bases, the rufous fawn towards the tips; the throat and feathers of the ruff are white, suffused with rufous fawn towards the tips, those of the throat with two or three very narrow transverse brown bars towards the end, and those of the ruff broadly blotched at the tips with deep brown; the breast and the abdomen are white, pale yellowish or rufous white, closely but irregularly barred with delicate, wavy brown lines, and many of the feathers with irregular dark brown shaft stripes or lengthened blotches ; the vent feathers and lower tail-coverts are white with, in most specimens, one or more imperfect bars at the tip; the tibial and tarsal plumes are similar, but the former are generally much more rufous, and the latter more purely white than the ground colour of the breast, and the markings always coarser than those of that part are in some specimens, close and regular, in others mere spots. This species is always paler and more rufous or more buffy than the next (H. plumipes),.and the dark blotches of the head, back, ruff and lower parts are always smaller and much less conspicuous, but, infer se, the specimens of this present species vary good deal in general tone of colouring, some being decidedly browner, some more rufous, and some more buffy.— Hume, “ Rough Nates.” 75 bis—Scops plumipes, Hume. Dimensions.—Length, 9:5 to 10; expanse, 20; wing, 6°7 to 7°3; tail, 8; exterior tail feathers, 0:2 to 0:4 shorter than the IN JERDON OR STRAY FEATHERS. 359 interior feathers; tarsus, 1°6 to 1°7; bill straight, from edge of cere, 0°6 ; from gape, 0°92. Description.—Vhe full description given of £. lettia renders it unnecessary to describe this species at length. The toes fully feathered to the base of, or even half way down the ter- minal joint, alone suffice to separate it from all our other Indian Scops Owls, but I may remark that the general tint of colouring is darker, and as arule less rufous or buffy, and the dark blotches on the head, back, ruff feathers, breast and abdo- men are larger and more conspicuous; the feathers of the throat and front of the ruff are also much more barred. I have never myself seen this bird alive, and therefore cannot give the colour of the irides and other parts which change in the dry specimens, nor can I, not having recorded them myself, vouch for the accuracy of those dimensions which cannot be checked from the dry skins, but I have no reason to doubt the correct- ness of those above recorded.—Hume, “ Rough Notes.” 75 ¢er.—Scops indicus, Gm. Dimensions.—(The sexes do not appear to differ in size. I have recorded numerous measurements of botk males and females, and though the majority of the females are slightly larger than the majority of the males, I have measured males quite as large as any females, and females as small as any males. ) Length, 7:88 to 9:0; expanse, 20°5 to 21:5; wing, 5:6 to 6°75; tail from vent, 2°5 to 8°37 ; exterior tail feathers about 0°35 shorter than central ones; tarsus, from 1:06 to 1:19; bill, straight from edge of cere, 0°56 to 0°63, from gape, 0°88 to 0°94; weight, 4oz. to 6°25 oz.. Description.—Toes and claws very pale greyish brown, the latter darker at the points and not much curved ; soles creamy white ; pads and papille much developed and soft, scutellation obscure ; three or four transverse quasi-scales at the end of each toe ; interior ridge of mid claw slightly dilated ; irides, in some brownish yellow, in others, dark brown; in one nearly pure yellow ; bill, upper mandible, dark brown ; lower mandible, paler, especially towards the chin ; cere dusky greyish. A prominent tuft of disunited-webbed, bristly, white feathers (with dark naked tips to the shafts, and traces on those nearest the eye of dark cross bars,) on each side of the upper man- dible at its base ; a faint tinge of buffy at the anterior angle of the eye; rest of lores, feathers below and behind eye, includ- ing ear-coverts loose webbed silky, greyish white, with traces 360 BIRDS OCCURRING IN INDIA NOT DESCRIBED of faint minute transverse brown bars; chin: white ; the fea- thers of the extreme tip somewhat bristly and curving upwards round lower mandible ; across the throat and upwards imme- diately behind the ear orifice, as far as the base of the aigrettes, a band of creamy or pale buff feathers, with numerous minute, transverse wavy brown pencillings and bars; those from the aigrettes to the sides of the throat with conspicuous dark brown tippings, which form the defining line of the disc, and a few of those in the centre of the throat with similarly coloured. spots at the tips; forehead and a broad supercilium run- ning up the inside webs of the aigrette feathers, and a curved band at the back of the head, extending from the point of one aigrette to the point of the other (when laid flat on the head,‘ a silvery grey or greyish white, the feathers with dark brown shafts, and numerous minute, transverse pencillings of that colour, and some of them with terminal spots ; centre of fore- head and top of head, a triangular space surrounded by this grey band, a rich dark brown; purest on the centre of the forehead, with small twin spots or imperfect transverse bars and mottlings, toa greater or less extent, of pale buff-; the out- side webs of the aigrettes are similar, as are the feathers of the band outside and contiguous to the curved grey band, which latter seems continuous with the dark line of the outer webs of the aigrette, while the former seems to start imme- diately above the centre of the eye; below the dark band, at the base of the neck, is another band of very similarly marked feathers, but whereas the dark brown predominates in the for- mer, the buff much predominates in the latter. The back, rump, upper tail-coverts, scapulars, wing-coverts, except the great- er ones of the primaries, a mixture of pale brownish grey and pale buffy, with dark brown central streaks, and nu- merous transverse wavy brown pencillings and mottlings. In the outside line of the scapulars the buff is very pure and in some positions conspicuous, and while the rump, upper tail and lesser wing-coverts are dingier and greyer, the centre of the upper back and the median and secondary wing-coverts shew more of a pale buff; the primary greater coverts are very dark brown, with broad transverse buffy mottled bars ; the quills are darkish brown, with numerous broad trans- verse greyish, more or less dingy, white bars, much more conspicuous on the outer webs; with the exception of a few bars on the upper portion of the outer webs of the earlier pri- maries, which are unmottled and slightly tinged with creamy, all the rest of these bars are closely mottled and_ pencilled with brown ; the second, third and fourth primaries are just perceptibly emarginate on the outer webs, and the first to the IN JERDON OR STRAY FEATHERS. 361 fourth are conspicuously notched on the inner webs; the sides of the neck behind the dark line, the breast, sides, abdomen, thigh-coverts, a sort of creamy grey, very soft and silky ; the feathers with narrow rich brown central streaks and numerous minute irregular wavy transverse pencillings ; greater portion of wing-lining, vent feathers, and lower tail-coverts, silky greyish white, the latter, some of them, with dark central streaks towards the tips ; tarsus fea- thers silky greyish white, with a faint buffy tinge towards the joint, and with several narrow, somewhat irregular, transverse, brown bars; tail feathers greyish brown, with imperfect, transverse mottled bars of very pale dingy buff, and with the interspaces, too, more or less mottled with the same colour. Other specimens answer well to the above description, except that in some specimens the whole of the colours are dingier, while the white of the lower abdomen, vent, lower tail and thigh-coverts is purer ; the tarsal plumes in some are entirely unbarred, and generally the markings are less pronounced and clear than in the first described specimen. In most birds (six out of eight of those now before me) the tarsal plumes are entirely unbarred. Only some specimens shew the silvery half collar on the neck described above; in most the deep brown of the top of the head is continuous down to the broad buffy collar, at most a few feathers on the nape being greyish towards the tips. On the whole, however, the colouration of specimens from the most distant localities differs but little—Hume, “ Rough Notes.” 15 quat.—Scops malabaricus, Jerd. Dimensions.—Females (two specimens only, measured in the flesh).—Length, 8:0 to 8:24; expanse, 16°5; wing, 5°95; tail, 2°75; exterior tail-feathers, 0°25 shorter than the central ; tarsus, 1:05 to 1°08; bill, straight to edge of cere, 0-43 to 0:5; from gape, 0°8. Deseription.—Feet yellow; irides dark yellow; bill yellow- ish horny, darker above. Plumage.—The full description of S. indicus already given renders any minute description of this species unnecessary. Generally it may be said that only the point of the forehead and a narrow streak over the eye is white; and these parts instead of being silvery-white, as in griseus, are fulvous ; again, the chin, throat, ruff feathers, breast, and abdomen, instead of being white or creamy white, as in griseus, are a rich 362 BIRDS OCCURRING IN INDIA NOT DESCRIBED buffy fawn. Altogether the bird is a good deal smaller, and the lower parts conspicuously more buffy than in any specimen of S. indicus.—Hume, “ Rough Notes.” 76 bis.—-Carine glaux, Savign. Adult Female.—General colour pale fawn-brown, mottled all over with white spots, more or less concealed on the back, and plainer on the scapulars and greater wing-coverts, the latter being rather darker brown on their inner webs; primary coverts and quills dark brown, tipped with white and broadly barred on the inner web with white—this bar not extending across the feathers, but represented on the outer web with a white notch, producing a chequered appearance; upper tail- coverts pale fawn brown, rather more rufous than the back, largely spotted with white, which occupies the basal half of the feather; tail pale fawn-colour, tipped with whitish and crossed with four bands of buffy white, continuous near the base, the apical bands however not completely traversing the feather ; head rather darker fawn-brown than the back, streaked with white down the centre of the feathers, dilating towards the tip into a distinct white spot; hind neck white, the feathers being mottled with brown, most of the feathers edged and tipped with the latter colour; facial aspect white ; the lores with dark brown shaft stripes ; the ear-coverts also broadly streaked with brown ; cheeks white, continued in a triangular patch to behind the ear-coverts ; chin and foreneck pure white, separated from each other by a band of feathers of a pale rufous fawn-colour; rest of under surface of body pure white, broadly streaked with rufous fawn-colour, these streaks becoming narrower on the abdomen and disappearing on the under tail-coverts; leg- feathers entirely white ; ucder wing-coverts white; the inner ones and the axillaries washed with yellowish, the outer ones streaked with brown; the greater series dark brown at base, ashy brown at tip, resembling the inner lining of the wing, which is ashy brown, broadly barred with white on the inner web; bill and irides pale yellow. Total length, 10°5 inches; wing, 7; tail, 3°8; tarsus, 1°25. Adulé Male.—Similar to the female. Total leneth, 9°5 inches ; wing, 6°4; tail, 3°6; tarsus 1°25. This species is certainly very closely allied to C. noctua ; and the yeung appear to be almost indistinguishable from each other. It may be regarded as a desert form of the European bird, with a distinct range, being pale fawn-colour where IN JERDON OR STRAY FEATHERS. 363 C. noctua is dark brown : hence it has a generally pale appear- ance. On raising the wing, the inner lining in C. glaue is very pale, and inclines to ashy brown, the white bars on the inner web very broad and contrasting strongly, the bars on the inner web of the first primary being four in number. In C. noctua the wing-lining is much darker brown, and only three bars are apparent on the inner web of the first primary, all the bars on the inner web being not quite so broad. ‘These differences of wing coloration are really very little more than part of the general pale tone predominant in C. glaux, and hardly con- stitute specific characters. A specimen of C. noctua from Greece is so thoroughly intermediate that I am inclined to look upon the two birds as races of one form.—Sharpe’s Catalogue. Both this species and bactriana have the breast and abdo- men streaked, while in brama and pulchra these parts are barred ; glauz has the toes scantily covered with hair, while bactriana has them thickly feathered.—A. O. H. 76 ter.—Carine bactriana, Hutton. Adult.— General colour deep fawn-brown; the head streaked with buffy whitish; all the streaks dilating towards their tips, some of which have a subterminal spot; hind neck largely mottled with white; many of the feathers broadly barred across with white; the outer webs of many of them also of the latter colour ; interscapulary region tolerably uniform, the white spots being concealed, but very distinct and oval in shape on the scapulars ; wing-coverts coloured like the back, and distinctly spotted with white; the spots on the median and gveater coverts larger and more oval in form; primary coverts dusky brown, barred across with fawn-colour; quills brown, rather more dusky at tip, barred across with lighter and more rufous brown ; the ends of the feathers greyish white; all the rufescent bars shading off into a white spot on the outer web, and giving a chequered appearance to the wing; upper tail-coverts fawn- colour, the bases white; tail pale fawn-colour, tipped with whitish, and crossed with five rather irregular bands of fulvous fawn; lores pure white, as also a small superciliary streak, the former with black shaft lines; ear-coverts fawn-colour, with whitish shaft streaks, the feathers under the eye whitish; cheeks and throat white, extending in a triangular patch back- wards below the ear-coverts; lower part of foreneck white, separated from the throat by a band of rufescent feathers mot- tled with whitish ; rest of under surface fawn-buff, inclining to 264 BIRDS OCCURRING IN INDIA NOT DESCRIBED white on the centre of the body, streaked with rufous brown ; the centres to the feathers very broad and distinct on the breast, much narrower on the sides of body, and absent altogether on the lower flanks, vent, and under tail-coverts ; lee feathers whitish, light fawn on their outer aspects; under wing-coverts whitish, with a few slight markings of brown here and there, the lower series whitish at base, ashy brown at tip, and thug resembling the imner lining of the quills, which are pale ashy brown, barred with buffy white on the inner web. Total length, 8 inches ; wing, 671; tail, 3:4; tarsus, 1:15.—Sharpe’s Catalogue. For distinctions between this and other congeners, see remarks. on preceding species. 78 bis.—Glaucidium castaneonotum, Bly. The following is Mr. Blyth’s original description :—“ Entire mantle and wings deep chestnut rufous, more or less obscurely barred with subdued dusky ; primaries light dusky, faintly barred with rufous on the inner webs, and with a series of spots of bright rufous on the outer webs ; tail dusky, with eight or nine narrow white, or whitish bars, the last of these terminal ; head and neck closely barred with bright rufescent on a dusky ground, contrasting strongly with the rufous of the back ; breast nearly similar, but the colours deeper; abdomen white, with longitudinal dusky streaks; vent and lower tail-cover " pure white ; ; bill pale yellow; irides red brown ? Wing about 5.—Hume, “ Rough Notes.” 81 quat.—Ninox affinis, Tytler. Dimensions.—Length, 10; expanse, 18°3 ?; wine, 6°9; tail from vent, 4:4; tarsus (covered with hair-like feathers,) 1:0 ; foot covered with stiff bristles ; bill from gape, 0°8. Description.— All the upper surface rufous brown, with the slaty bases of the lax feathers showing through in many places, thus giving it more or less a slaty tinge ; on the tail-feathers there are six well-defined blackish bars; the tips of all are brown; the inner webs of the quill feathers are dark; chin albescent ; throat, breast and abdomen rufous ; breast, abdomen, and flanks striped, that is to say, each feather being albescent at the margins, rufous at the tips, and darker near the shaft, gives the appearance of being streaked; vent and under IN JERDON OR STRAY FEATHERS. 365 tail-coverts pure white; thighs, tarsi and under wing-coverts rufous ; toes thickly covered with thick strong bristles, of an albescent brown colour ; claws at the base albescent; the rest blackish slate; the inner webs of all the primaries, except the first feather, are faintly barred with dark towards the point half, and with albescent buff towards the basal half, giving the wings from beneath a speckled albescent appearance ; the face and a little of the forehead albescent; nostrils and base of upper mandible protected by stiff lax feathers, white, with a black shaft ; bill yellowish horny at point, greenish slate towards the base ; irides bright yellow.—Hume, ‘‘ Rough Notes.” 99 ter.—Cypselus pallidus, Shelley. Adult Male.—Resembles Cypselus apus, except that instead of being sooty black it is dull soft mouse-grey ; forehead and crown rather paler than the back, the wings and tail being rather darker ; chin and upper throat whitish grey ; rest of the under parts mouse-grey, darkest on the breast and abdomen, and most of the feathers on these parts are narrowly margined with lighter grey ; in front of the eye is a black spot, which is extended toa very slight extent’ round the edge of the eye; bill black ; feet dark purplish brown; iris brown. Total length about 6 inches ; culmen, 0°3; gape, 0°65; wing, 6:4; tail, 2-7; tarsus, 0°45. Female.—Similar to the male.—Dresser’s “ Birds of Europe.” 99 quat.—Cypselus pekinensis, Swinh. Back, nape, and under parts as in C. apus, the white on the throat more extended; crown, rump, tail, and wings light brown, with a slight coppery-pink gloss; primary coverts, shafts of quills, and outer-webs of wing primaries blackish; forehead very pale, with a whitish upper edge to the black patch in front of the eye. Male.—Length, 7 inches; wing, 7; tail, 3; depth of fork, 1; wing reaching beyond tail, 1-2. Legs deep purplish brown, with black claws; inside of mouth flesh-colour, with a pur- plish tinge, especially on lower jaw; skin round eye and bill blackish brown, tinged with purple ; iris bright brownish black.— Swinhoe, P. Z. S., 1870, 435. 47 366 BIRDS OCCURRING IN INDIA NOT DESCRIBED This pale representative of C. apus, L., comes to Pekin in large numbers in April (David) to breed, and leaves early in August. A bird from the Himalayas, brought home by Dr. Jerdon, agrees with my specimens ; and it is probably this species, and not the true C. apus, which is found in India in winter. —Swinkoe, P. Z. S., 1871, 345. 141 bis.—Hydrocissa convexa, Tem, In plumage, like H. albirostris, but with the four lateral pairs of tail-feathers wholly white; in adults and in the young, these are black at base, and the middle pair tipped with white. Iris vandyke-brown; naked space round the eyes and sides of throat bluish-white.x—Moore and Horsfield. The little casque is wider than it is high, convex on the sides, arched above, but with a very perceptible ridge along the median line; it ends ina perpendicular line, and is there compressed into a knife-like edge; it is whitish posteriorly, and marked with a black band which follows its outline; the point is black ; the beak is the same colour as the casque, but the base of the lower mandible, the commissure, and the point of the upper mandible are black ; the spaces about the eye and at base of the lower mandible are bare, but they are divided by a narrow band of black feathers. The general plumage is black; the abdomen, sides, flanks, vent-feathers and lower tail-coverts pure white; the two central tail-feathers entirely black ; the rest, together with the terminal portions of most of the quills, pure white.—Temminck, P. C. (corrected.) 145 bis.—Tockus gingalensis, Shaw. *‘Its general shape resembles that of most other species” (of Hornbills), “but the bill, which is very large, is not distin- guished by any crest or prominence; the colour of the upper part of the head and the back is blackish-brown, with a cast of bluish-grey ; the wings are of a fine bluish-grey ; the smaller coverts edged with black, marking out that part of the plumage into so many scale-like divisions; the face, fore- part of the neck, breast, belly, and thighs are of a greyish white, growing deeper on the belly and thighs; the tail is longish, the two middle feathers bluish-grey, the rest tipped IN JERDON OR STRAY FEATHERS. 367 pretty deeply with white; the bill is pale or yellowish-white on the sides, but- the upper arch of the upper mandible is blackish or dusky; the lower mandible dusky, but whitish or pale beneath; both mandibles are serrated in the usual man- ner of this genus; the legs are dusky. ‘This species is a native of the Island of Ceylon.—Shaw. The irides are reddish, and when partly hidden by the long stiff black eye-lashes, have a very peculiar appearance. In some specimens the bill is white, with a black patch extending from the naked space round the eye, about three- fourths of an inch along the lower half of the upper man- dible ; the bill 32 inch long; the three outer tail-feathers are white ; the fourth half black from the quill; the fifth black ; the head has a rufous tinge. In other specimens the head wants the rufous tinge; the first tail-feather is white, with the outer shaft black up two- thirds of its length, and slightly tinged up one-third of the inner web; second and third feathers black on both sides up two-thirds of their length; fourth black up to an inch from the tip; fifth black altogether. Bill, 24 inch long and black, with a white patch on the upper mandible about 13 long, beginning about half an inch from the base.—Layard. The colour and shape of the bill in this bird vary a good deal with age. Bill yellowish, more or less marked with black; irides red- dish brown; feet slate grey.—Holdsworth. 151 dis.—Palzornis calthrope, Luyard, in Blyth. A beautiful species, the representative in the mountainous parts of Ceylon of P. columboides of the Nilgiris, to which species it manifests the nearest affinity. Crown and back plumbeous-grey, passing to bluish on the rump, and rich dark indigo-blue on the middle tail-feathers and outer webs of the rest; tail yellow beneath and at the tips, sullied along the inner webs of the rectrices above ; forehead and cheeks (pass- ing beyond the eye), broad nuchal ring, and entire under parts brilliant green ; wings deeper green, paler and yellowish to- wards the scapularies; throat intense black, and contrasting, with a tendeney to form a ring round the neck, but which does not so much as half surround the neck; upper mandi- ble bright coral, with a white tip; the lower reddish; wing, 54 inch; tail probably of the usual length, but its medial 368 BIRDS OCCURRING IN INDIA NOT DESCRIBED feathers in the specimen described appear but half grown. A female or young male is wholly green, more yellowish below, except the rump, which is brighter blue than in the adult male, and the tail is mingled green and indigo-blue; the more vivid green of the neck but obscurely indicated; both the man- dibles are dull coral, with white tips; and the wing measures 53 inch ; the tail but 44 inch.— Blyth. The colouring in the sexes is alike, except that in the female the green on the side of the head is less distinct, and the bill is black instead of red.— Holdsworth. 153 dis.—Loriculus indicus, Gm. Differs from ZL. vernalis in having the crown deep red, pass- ing toa saffron hue on the nape, and in some specimens over much of the back, while the forepart of the neck is tinged more or less deeply with verditer. This appears to be wholly confined to Ceylon.— Blyth. 166 ¢er.—Chrysocolaptes stricklandi, Layard. Length about 11 inches; of closed wing, 5:25; tail, 4:25; bill, 1:75; tarsi, 1. General colour of back scarlet maroon, each feather being maroon, edged with scarlet; the filamentous feathers on the lower portion of the back near the tail-coverts (which with the tail are brown) are brilliant scarlet; wing primaries of a lighter brown than the tail-feathers; the outer webs mar- gined maroon, changing into scarlet; inner webs of the secondaries marked with four large circular white spots; the interior primaries have but three spots, the middle two spots, the outside of all but one; the feathers of the breast and neck chiefly buff, with an albescent centre and dark-brown edge, giving these portions a scaly appearance, which is lost on the sides and belly, where it merely assumes a mottled irregular form; chin white, with five distinct very dark brown lines down it; head of female brown, with numerous good-sized white ocelli (in the male this portion is brilliant scarlet) ; the feathers over the nostrils light-brown; a streak of the same colour forms an eyebrow; bill light corneous ; legs bluish; irides red-brown.—Layard. IN JERDON OR STRAY FEATHERS. 369 The female has the whole top of the head and crest black, spotted with white; and a young bird of that sex had the lower part of the back black, faintly barred with white, with crimson feathers appearing among the others; the bill in this bird was only two-thirds the length of that in the adult. Layard states that the irides of this species are red-brown; but I think he must have been mistaken, as in four specimens I obtained at Nuwara Eliya, and which I myself prepared, the irides were buff, those of the young bird being rather, paler than the others. Bill greenish white; irides buff; feet greenish slate — Holdsworth. 168 d’s—Dryocopus martius, Lin. Male.—General colour glossy black, slightly tinged with brown on the forepart of the under surface; quills and tail blackish brown ; crown of the head crimson, narrowing into an occipi- tal crest on the nape; bill bluish white, blackish towards the point; feet dark grey; iris light yellow. Total length, 18 inches ; culmen, 2°6; wing, 9:0; tail, 7:0; tarsus, 1°3. Female.—Similar to the male, but somewhat duller in plu- mage, and inclining to brown. Always to be distinguished by the crimson on the head being confined to a patch on the occiput, and not extending on to the forehead. Total length, 18 inches; culmen, 2°3; wing, 9:2; tail, 7:2; tarsus, 1°3. The young birds are similar to the adults, excepting that the bill is not so strong, the black not so pure, and the red on the crown of the male not so largely developed, nor so bright as in the old birds.—Sharpe and Dresser, “ Birds of Europe.” 182 bis—Brachypternus ceylonus, Forst. This bears just the same relationship to B. aurantius and puncticollis (also inhabiting Ceylon) that Chrysocolaptes strick- landi does to C. delesserti, being wholly crimson above, but with a black rump (as in other Brachypterni).—Blyth. 193 ter.—Megalema zeylonica, Gm. Sexes alike; body green; the head and neck dark earthy brown ; the feathers of the neck longitudinally streaked towards 370 BIRDS OCCURRING IN INDIA NOT DESCRIBED the tip with pale yellowish; the upper back and wing-coverts dark green, with an ochreous tinge, the former narrowly centred and the latter finely tipped with yellowish white ; the quills brown ; the edge of the inner web and exterior edge of the pri- maries cream colour ; the rest of the upper plumage rich green ; entire throat and breast dark brown, shading into a light blue green on the abdomen; the feathers of the breast indistinctly centred with paler brown ; tail underneath greenish blue ; bill pale brown, with an orange tinge; rictal bristles strongly deve- loped ; the feathers of the forehead and chin stiff-shafted, and terminating in bristles; naked skin of the cheek yellow; legs and feet dull yellow; iris brown. Length about 9:5; wing, 4:5; tail rather less than 3 inches. This Barbet is the Ceylonese representative of the green group which forms such a well-marked sub-division of the genus Megalema. It is most nearly allied to M. canicens of Continental India, and has been frequently united to it; but as a peculiar local distribution is accompanied by a permanent difference in size and depth of colouring, we retain both as good species in the same way as we have retained the Hima- layan and Javan species of Lineated Barbet as distinct. It may be distinguished from JZ. caniceps by the dark brown instead of the pale earthy brown head ; the generally darker colouring of the neck, throat and breast and the smaller dimensions. In MV. cani- ceps, too, the upper back is greyish brown, while in J. zeylonica it is green. From Lord Walden’s new species, M/. inornata, it is distinguished by the pale streaks on the breast which are want- ing in MW. mornata, and also by the dark colouring, the latter species being of the two most similar to IZ. caniceps.—Marshall’s “ Capitonide.” 196 ¢er.—Megalema flavifrons, Cuv. Forehead and a spot at the base of the lower mandible bright golden yellow; head and sides of the neck bright green; the shafts of the feathers yellowish white, giving a striped appear- ance; the rest of the upper parts of the body bright grass green, bluish on the wing-coverts; the upper tail-coverts obscurely margined with brighter green; quills brown, yellow at the base of the inner web ; the outer web, especially of the secon- daries, broadly margined with grass green; tail deep green above, bluish beneath; ear-coverts, eyebrow, and throat bright verditer blue; rest of the under surface of the body bright green, lighter on the breast, the feathers of which are transversely IN JERDON OR STRAY FEATHERS. 371 scolloped with darker green; bill brownish black, paler at the base of the lowe mandible. Total length, 9 inches ; of wing, 40 ; tail, 2°75; tarsus, 1-10.—Jarshall’s “ Capitonide.” 198 bis.—Xantholema rubricapilla, Brown. Sexes alike; body green; forehead and sinciput scarlet; a band across the top of the head black; occiput and nape green, washed with verditer ; the rest of the upper plumage dark green, edged with paler green ; quills brown, pale yellowish at base of inner webs; exterior web edged with green; lores, a superci- liary eye-streak, cheeks, ear-coverts, and throat rich golden yellow, the ear-coverts being tipped with black, forming a con- tinuation of the band across the head; moustachial streak and sides of the neck verditer ; a large spot on the upper breast scarlet, edged with yellow; breast light yellowish green, shading into blue green; tail underneath greenish blue; rictal bristles black, fine, and extendiug beyond the tip of the bill, which is plumbeous black ; irides brown ; legs and feet olive brown. The present bird is the most beautiful species of the genus, its nearest ally being A. malabarica, which has been obtained in Southern India, and differs from X. rubricapilla in having the throat and cheeks scarlet instead of golden yellow.— Marshall’s “ Capitonide.” 207 dis,—Hierococcyx nisoides, Bly. ‘ There is also in the British Museum the unmounted skin of an adult received from Nipal, which is like H. sparverioides, but conspicuously smaller; the wing measuring 7:5 inches. This seems to me to exemplify even another distinct race which I will provisionally call £. nisotdes. These various Hawk-like Cuckoos have a nesiling-plumage which considerably resembles that of Accipiter, being equally distinct from that of the Bhoka- tako group, and from that of the group exemplified by C. canorus. “ The different races of Hierococcyx appear to me to be quite as distinct as are the different admitted species of Tetraogallus, Satyra, Phasianus, or Perdix cinerea, P. barbata, and P. hodgsonie, and therefore to have just the same claim to be separately recog- nized. Of the considerable number of specimens that I have examined, I do not perceive that the different races of Hawk-like Cuckoos run into each other, and therefore I feel some confi- 372 BIRDS OCCURRING IN INDIA NOT DESCRIBED dence in the opinion that the single specimen which I have called Hl. nisoides denotes a peculiar race, which should be sought for in Butan (as also Hzerax melanoleucus, Alcedo grandis, Indicator xanthonotus, and other Sikhim rarities.) There cer- tainly is not that fusion of different races which we observe in the instances of the Indian and Indo-Chinese Rollers and in different specific races of Gallophasis.—Blyth, “ Ibis,” 1866. 216 bis.—Pheenicophaus pyrrhocephalus, Pen. Its length is sixteen inches; its weight four ounces. The bill is much arched, strong, and of a greenish yellow colour; the crown of the head and part of the cheeks are of a bright crimson, entirely surrounded by a band of white; the hind part of the head and neck black, marked with small white spots; the foreparts of the neck entirely black. The back and wings black; the tail very long, composed of feathers of unequal lengths; their lower part black ; the ends white. The breast and belly white; the legs of a pale bluee—Pennant’s Ind. Zool.” 217 ter.—Centrococcyx chlororhynchus, Blyth. Distinguished from C. rujipennis by its much larger bill of a uniform greenish yellow colour, by the darker shade, bordering on maroon, of its back and wings, and by the peculiar hue of the dark head, neck, and under parts, which have a somewhat ruddy tinge, and are glossed with amethystine purple, a redder shine of which is seen likewise to gloss the upper parts; tail purple black. Length about 18 inches, of which the tail mea- sures half; its outermost feathers 9°5 inch less ; wing, 6°5 inch; bill to gape, 1°75 inch; and its vertical depth fully °5 inch ; tarsi, 2 inch; and long hind claw, about 1 inch; irides red. A rather local species in the upland territory. — Blyth, “ Ibis,” 1867. 240 bis.— Prionochilus pipra, Less. Cent. Zool. pl.26. Although I do not in the least believe in this being either a Prionochilus or an inhabitant of Ceylon, yet there being, so far IN JERDON OR STRAY FEATHERS. 373 as I know, no absolute certainty as to what it is or where it came from, I transcribe Blyth’s description and remarks : ‘“‘ Upper parts brownish ashy ; the wings and tail brown, with a russet tinge; throat and front of the neck rust coloured ; the rest of the lower parts brown, rayed (the feathers tipped in the figure) with whitish; vent and lower tail-coverts russet ; axillary tufts brilliant violet; bill and tarsi black; the lower mandible whitish beneath. Length about 4 inches; the closed wing 2:25 inch. Procured by Dr. Reynard in Trincomali. I have not seen this bird, nor was it known to Mr. Layard.’— Blyth, “ Ibis,” 1867. 248 quinf.—Sitta neumayeri, Wichah. Adult Male.—Knutire upper parts lead blue, rather darker on the forehead; loral space and a broad line passing through and beyond the eye to the nape black; quills bluish brown, slightly edged with russet, as are also the larger wing-coverts ; tail blackish brown ; the two central feathers being, however, lead blue, the outermost feathers on each side having a russet spot at the tip of the inner webs, and the outer web at the base slightly edged with the same colour; cheeks, throat, auriculars, and entire under parts white, tinged with russet on the abdomen, this tinge being more conspicuous on the flanks and the lower portion of the abdomen; thighs pale russet ; under tail-coverts pale russet ; each feather having a large cen- tral mark of dull bluish grey; bill horn colour; under man- dible much lighter at the base and to two-thirds of its length ; legs lead grey; iris dark brown. Total length, 5°6 inches ; culmen, 0°8; wing, 3; tail, 2; tarsus, 0°9. Female.—Similar to the male, but generally somewhat larger in size. One obtained by Dr. Kriiper in Macedonia, in Novem- ber 1869, measures 5:4 inches in length; wing, 3°25; tail, 2:1; culmen, 0°95; tarsus, 0°95. A female from Kokand differs in being much lighter in co- lour than specimens from Asia Minor; and the stripe behind the eye is larger, extending 14 inch from the eye; and the secondaries and wing-coverts are indistinctly edged with rufous. In this specimen the culmen measures 1 inch; wing, 3°5 ; tarsus, 1:05. This, however, is in all probability an unusually large bird, as two others from the same locality measure as follows :— Culmen, 0°95 and 1 inch; wing, 3°3 and 3°5; tail, 2-2 and 2°4; tarsus, 0°98 and 1, one being in general size apparently smaller than the specimen from Macedonia above referred to. 48 374 BIRDS OCCURRING IN INDIA NOT DESCRIBED Young.—Differs from the adult in being rather duller in co- lour.— Dresser, “ Birds of Europe.” 207% bis.—Lanius caniceps, Blyth. It is curious how often Lanius caniceps, erythronotus, and tephronotus are confounded, yet they are really very distinct, as the subjoined comparative table will show :— General colour} Extent of Frontal band. of rufous on upper|Colour of tail-feathers. upper parts. surface. LZ. erythro- |From 0:1 to 0°3/Somewhat pale} Whole lower| Central tail-feathers NOtUs. inch in width. | ashy grey. | back, rump,| black, or blackish ; upper tail-co- | brown; laterals brown, verts and lon- | with a grey tint. ger scapulars. LL. caniceps. Ditto. Ditto. Rump and Ditto. upper tail-co- verts only. LZ. tephro- {Almost entirely) Somewhat Ditto. Central tail-feathers notus, wanting. dark ashy deep rufous brown; brown. laterals growing pa- ler as they recede from the centre, all rufous brown. 3 Besides this, caniceps has the middle portion of the abdomen right down to the vent white, while in erythronotus the lower portion of the abdomen, and the feathers above the vent are bright ferruginous.— Hume, J. A. S. B., 1871, 117. 281 bis.—Buchanga leucopygialis, Bly. Similar to cewrulescens but smaller ; the tip of the upper man- dible (it would seem constantly) more produced ; and the white confined to the lower tail-coverts; the abdominal region being merely somewhat paler than the breast. Length of wing, 5°37 inches. This appears to be a common’species in Ceylon.— Blyth. Sharpe thus describes this species, and a supposed different sub-species (insularis), which I do not consider distinct :— B. insularis—Adult Male.—Similar to B. carulescens, but much smaller and darker, especially on the throat and chest, which are slaty brown, with a distinct gloss of steel blue ; “pill and legs black, the edges of the scales on the latter IN JERDON OR STRAY FEATHERS. 375 greyish ; iris reddish brown.” (Legge, UM. 8.). Total length, 9 inches ; culmen, 0°95; wing, 4°6; tail, 3°7; to tip of outer feather, 4°5; tarsus 0°75. B. leucopygialis. Very similar to B. insularis, if indeed, really separable, the only differences being that the entire abdomen is brownish, only slightly mixed with white, the under tail-coverts being white; this gives a darker appearance to the bird underneath. « Bill and feet black; iris brown.” —(Legge, M. 8.). Total length, 9 inches ; culmen, 0°85 ; wing, 4°7; tail, 3:5; to tip of outer feather, 4°5; tarsus, 1:°7.—Sharpe’s Catalogue. 293 quat.—Dissemuroides lophorinus, Viedll. This well marked species would seem to be a common bird in Ceylon. It much resembles the ordinary sub-crested Dis- semurus of the Malayan Peninsula, except that its tail is formed as in D, macrocercus, the caudal feathers being, however, some- what broader. Three specimens are quite similar. Length of wing, 5°37 inches; of middle tail-feathers, 5 inches; the outer- most, 1°5 to 1:75 inch more; bill to gape, 1°75 ; and tarsi 1 inch. The form of bill and plumage is as in D. malabaricus, the frontal crest being rather more developed than in the next species. This is in fact a Dissemurus, with the outermost tail-feathers not prolonged as in that series of birds.—Blyth. Adult Female.—General colour above black, with a metallic green shade, rather more purplish on the head and on the neck- hackles; wings metallic steel green, the inner secondaries also ; the rest of the quills black, glossed externally with steel green, the primaries only at the base; tail feather black, glossed with steel green on the outer webs; forehead crested ; the plumes deep black, as also those of the lores and sides of the face; under surface of body black, glossed with steel green, uniformly distributed on the abdomen, but rather more metallic on the breast, where it is chiefly confined to the tips of the breast feathers, producing a slightly spangled appearance ; under wing- coverts black, glossed with metallic green, like the breast ; “bill and legs black; iris dull brownish red.”—(Legge.) Total length, 12°3; culmen, 1°25 ; wing, 5:6; tail, 5:2; to tip of outer feather, 7:2; tarsus, 0°95. Adult Male.—Similar to the female, but a little larger. Cap- tain Legge says that the wing of a male bird, shot with the female above described, measured 6 inches in length. Hab,—Ceylon,—Sharpe’s Catalogue. 376 BIRDS OCCURRING IN INDIA NOT DESCRIBED 318 dis.—Siphia minuta, Hume. Dimeusions.—Length, 4; wing, 2:2; tail, 1°77; tarsus, 0°7 ; mid toe and claw, 0°56 ; hind toe and claw, 0°5 ; bill at front, 0:25. Description.—Bill blackish brown, fleshy on lower surface of lower mandible ; legs and feet very pale fleshy brown. Plu- mage : Upper surface a very rich olive-brown, slightly tinged with rufous on the back, more conspicuously so on the rump ; tail dull rufous ; quills hair-brown, narrowly margined with dull rufous ; chin, upper part of throat, wing-lining, flanks, and lower tail-coverts pure pale buff; lower portion of throat, and lower portion of abdomen and vent white ; sides of neck, breast and upper abdomen pale dingy brownish fulvous. This species closely resembles both S%phia tricolor and the female of Siphia leucomelanura, but is decidedly distinct from either ; it has no white about the tail, and differs from all the Siphie and Lrythrosterne which I possess, as well as from Anthipes moniliger. The specimen was shot by Mr. William Masson on Mount Tonghoo, in Sikhim.—Hume, “ Ibis, 1872 109.” 323 ter.—Erythrosterna hyperythra, Cad, J. F. O. 1866, 391. fhe upper surface is brownish grey, turning to a purer grey on the rump and upper tail-coverts ; tail black, with the basal halves of the lateral rectrices white ; the upper tail-coverts, especially the longest, are blackish in parts, specially on the outer webs. The lower surface is a bright red brown or rusty red, except on the middle of the abdomen which is pure white. The red brown colour is most intense on the throat and breast, lighter on the contrary and mingled with albescent on the sides of the abdomen and lower tail-coverts. The prevailing hue of the tibial plumes is grey ; the loral region is somewhat dotted with white; the sides of the head and neck contrast in pure, and not brownish, grey with the upper surface, and are divided from the red brown of throat and breast by an irregular black- ish line ; the under wing-coverts are tinged with rusty yellow ; the feet and upper mandible brown ; the lower yellow. The fourth quill is the longest ; the fifth longer than the third ; and the second about equal to the eighth. Length, 5°33 ; wing, 2°88 ; tail, 3°3 ; tarsus, 0°78.— Cadanis. IN JERDON OR STRAY FEATHERS. 377 The distinguishing characters of the species are the rich orange-brown of the throat and breast, and the black stripe running from the bill down the sides of the neck to the breast, and terminating below the bend of the closed wing. The specimens I obtained were both males, adult and immature ; and the above characters are distinct in both, but much more so in the older bird. Bill dusky above, yellow beneath ; irides dark brown ; feet purplish brown.—-Holdsworth. 338 bis.—Brachypteryx palliseri, Blyth. A presumed female is of arich dark olive or somewhat tawny- brown above, paler below, and whitish along the middle of the abdomen ; flanks and lower tail-coverts dark, and a strong rufous tinge on the chin and throat ; bill dusky above, whitish beneath ; feet brown. Length about 6-5 inch ; wing, 2°5 inch; tail, 2°75 inch; bill to gape, ‘8 inch ; and tarsi, 1 inch. The 5th, 6th, and 7th primaries equal and longest, the 1st 1 inch short- er ; and- the outermost tail-feathers 1:37 inch shorter than the middle ones. Procured by Dr. Kelaart in the mountain dis- trict of the island. —Biyth. Peculiar to Ceylon. The generic position of this bird is not very clear. It was placed by Blyth doubtfully in 3rachypteryz, but differs from the birds of that genus in the sexes being alike in colouring and in the well-developed tail. I believe it will require generic distinction ; but for the present I shall leave it in Brachypteryz. The whole upper surface is of a dark olive-brown ; the wings, rump and tail being of a richer brown tint ; chin and throat pale rusty ; beneath the eye and the ear-coverts dark greyish ; the underparts pale olive, becoming brown at the flanks, vent, and under tail-coverts. Billdusky above, dark grey below ; irides pale buff; feet dark flesh._— Holdsworth. 338 tér.—Brachypteryx stellatus, Gould. Forehead, ear-coverts, breast, chest, and abdomen grey, crossed by numerous wavy lines of black ; at the tip of each of the feathers of the abdomen, flanks, under (and some few of the upper) tail-coverts an irregular arrowhead-shaped mark of 378 BIRDS OCCURRING IN INDIA NOT DESCRIBED white ; lores black ; all the upper surface, wings, and tail chest- nut red ; bill black ; feet brown. Total length, 4°5 inches ; bill, 0°62; wing, 2:75; tail, 2; tarsi, 1:25.— Gould, P. Z. S., 1868, 218. 043 ¢er.—Arrenga blighi, Holdsw. In the adult, or perhaps nearly adult, mule the whole head, nape, and throat pure black; back, wing-coverts and breast. black, strongly glossed with indigo; carpal joint dark smalt blue; wings, tail, rump, flanks, and abdomen dusky brown, the two last slightly rufous; the upper tail-coverts, rump, and flanks are tinged with blue, and it is not improbable that in an older bird these parts may become of the same colour as the back and breast. In the young the whole bird is brown, darker on the upper surface and more rufous below; the fea- thers of the forehead, throat, and breast centred with yellow- brown, and there is an indication of blue on the carpal joint. The dimensions of the adult male are:—Length, 8 inches ; wing, 4°4; tail, 3°5; tarsus, 1:4; bill at front, 0°6. Bill black ; irides greyish; feet black. An adult female, shot by Mr. Bligh, but almost knocked to pieces, had very much the character of a young bird of the same sex I obtained at Nuwara Eliya; and the wing spot was brighter, but not of so deep a blue as in the male.— Holdsworth, P. Z. S., 1872, 444. 349 dis.—Cinclus pallasi, Tem. Both sexes alike. The whole upper and lower surface, head and neck of one uniform smoky brown tint or soot colour; feathers of the back margined blackish ; the wings and tail of a greyish black, but the wing-coverts margined sooty ; the tail has twelve feathers; iris blue; bill black; legs and feet grey. Length, 8°78 inches. The birds of the year have the upper parts of a deep brown, but each feather broadly margined black ; throat whitish; the feathers margined brown; the rest of the lower parts of a blackish grey, with a white crescent at the tip of each feather ; the quills and tail-feathers narrowly bordered with white, and tiny spots of this latter on the wing-coverts; feet of a very light grey.—Zem: Man. d’ Orn. IN JERDON OR STRAY FEATHERS. 379 Similar to, but darker colored and with a much stouter bill than, Cinclus asiaticus. Wing, 3:9; tail, 2:4; tarsus, 1:3; bill, 0°74; the first quill exceeds the longest of the outer greater wing-coverts by 0:3; the second nearly equals the third, which is longest; bill brown, by no means dark; feet verging towards whitish launa Japonica, “Deep uniform brown; the middle of the belly somewhat blacker; the back and uropygium sealed with black” (7.e., with black margins to the feathers) ; “ wings and tail brownish black. Length, 8:0; wings, 4:0; tail, 2°5; tarsus, 1:25; bill from gape, 1:1.”—Salvin, “ Ibis,” 1877. 351 ter.—Monticola saxatilis, Lin. Dimensions.—(The males are slightly the largest).—Length, 75 to 8:1; expanse, 14 to 15:3; wing, 4°5 to 4'8 ; bill at front, 0:7 to 0°83; tail from vent, 2°75 to 3; tarsus, 1:2 to 1:3. The third quill is the longest, and exceeds the first, which is very small, (whereas in Cyanocinela cyana it is of moderate size), by 2°9 to 3; the second by 0°1; and the fourth by 0°25. Description.—Male.—The whole head and neck all round dull, somewhat greyish-blue; upper part of the back bluish- black ; secapulars and the rest of the back somewhat brownish- black, mottled towards the centre with white; rump pure white; upper tail-coverts, those nearest the rump, mingled dingy blue and rufous, those adjoining the tail feathers, bright rufous; central tail feathers brown; lateral tail feathers bright ferruginous; wings dark, almost blackish brown; the coverts darkest, and many of them tipped with greyish or fuivous white ; breast, abdomen, lower tail-coverts, axillaries and most of the wing- lining (which latter, however, is paler) bright ferruginous red. Female.—Upper parts dull brown, more or less tinged ashy, and about the head and rump more or less spotted with a darker brown; the back sometimes exhibits white spots simi- lar to those in the male, and the rump has often a yellowish tinge; the upper tail-coverts are bright rufous; the tail is similar to that of the male, but duller coloured, and with the central feathers somewhat tinged with rufous; the throat and sides of the neck are yellowish white, or sometimes pure white, more or less spotted with earthy or ashy brown; the chest and abdomen are light rufous or reddish white, with narrow wavy transverse brown and whitish bars; the wings are much as in the male, but the coverts are perhaps more extensively tipped with dull white. 880 BIRDS OCCURRING IN INDIA NOT DESCRIBED The young vary a good deal, according to stage of plumage ; one before me has the lores fulvous white, and the feathers of the eyelids of the same colour; the whole of the head, nape, back and scapulars a dull earthy or somewhat ashy brown, each feather more or less broadly tipped with fulvous or pale fulvous white, and most of them with a darker brown spot or line just inside this tipping; the rump is pale brownish yellow, each feather with a narrow irregular transverse brown bar near the tip ; upper tail-coverts ferruginous, with traces of brown spots near the tips; tail as in the adult, but duller coloured; wings as in the adult, butall the quills broadly tipped with brownish white, and the primaries narrowly, and most of the coverts and the tertiaries broadly, margined with the same colour ; chin, throat, and sides of the neck pure white, everywhere, except down the centre of the chin and the throat, speckled with ashy brown ; breast and abdomen more or less pale buffy ; the feathers inconspicuously tipped white, and with a narrow transverse wavy dark brown line towards the tip; lower tail-coverts and axillaries, as well as wing-lining, pale ferruginous buff. Degland describes a young bird just taken from the nest, thus: “ Above ashy brown ; feathers of the head, nape, and back ashy rufous at the centre, brown towards the tips; front of the neck and breast like the back, but with larger spots; ab- domen rufous, the feathers irregularly tipped with brown ; under tail-coverts uniform light rufous; tail as in the female.” Yarrell describes another bird thus: “ All the upper parts light and brown, each feather terminated with a spot of greyish white ; quill feathers tipped with buffy white; wing-coverts edged with grey and tipped with buffy white; tail feathers red; the two in the middle black in the centre ; underpart of the body something like that of the female, but more barred with white, which is again intersected with brown lines.” Neither of these descriptions exactly agree either with the young Yarkand bird above described, or with other European specimens which I possess, and which tally precisely with this latter, but doubtless correctly represent other stages of the young bird’s plumage, and I have, therefore, reproduced them.— Hume, “ Lahore to Yarkand.” 359 bis.—Merula vulgaris, Leach. | Adult Male.—Silky black; the wings a little paler, inclining to silvery grey on the under surface of the wing; bill orange; feet dark brown; the soles yellow; eye-lid orange. ‘Total IN JERDON OR STRAY FEATHERS. 381 length, 10°5 inches ; culmen, 1:05 ; wing, 4'8; tail, 4:4; tarsus, Adult Female.—Above dusky olive-brown, entirely uniform ; the ear-coverts a trifle inclining to ashy brown, with the shafts indicated by a narrow whitish line ; wing-coverts exactly the same colour as the back, some of the outermost of the great- er and primary coverts washed with clearer brown on the outer web; quills brown, the inner surface silky white; the primaries externally margined with paler brown, somewhat inclining to white towards the tips of these quills; tail uniform dark brown; throat and sides of the neck greyish white, the former spotted and streaked with very dark brown ; upper part of the breast ferruginous, mottled all over with triangular markings of dull brown; the rest of the under surface of the body greyish; the flanks strongly inclining to brown ; under wing-coyverts ashy brown; bill dull yellow, browner along the culmen ; feet yellowish; iris dark hazel; eye-lid dull gam- boge. Total length, 10 inches; culmen, 1:0; wing, 4°9 ; tail 4:2; tarsus, 1:35. Observation.—Macgillivray gives the colour of the bill in the female as dark brown; but we have no doubt, judging from the series of specimens now before us, that the adult bird gets a yellow bill, perhaps never so bright as in the old male. Mr. Robson says that in Turkey “the old male and female have each of them a yellow bill.” The hen Blackbird certainly exhibits great variation in plumage, but the differences seem to us to be in great part due to age: thus some specimens are very dark underneath, with scarcely any tinge of ferruginous, while others are much paler, and the reddish colour extends nearly up to the chin or far down on to the lower breast. Young (fully grown).—Above brown; the feathers of the nape narrowly streaked down the middle with fulvous, these central shafts markings being broad and inclining to rufous on the head; back, scapulars, and upper wing-coverts much broader on the last-named parts and on the wing-coverts, and widening out into a triangular spot; lower part of the back and rump brown, shaded with rufous, which is much clearer on the upper tail-coverts ; quills brown, the innermost secondaries faintly glossed with fulvous brown, and the pri- maries obscurely margined with the same colour; tail entirely black, the feathers pointed at the tips; under surface of the body pale orange rufous ; this colour extending on to the fore- head and sides of the face; the ear-coverts narrowly streaked with whitish lines along the shaft; cheeks mottled with little specks of brown, collecting on the lower part, and thus forming an indistinct malar stripe; the throat itself scarcely spotted 49 382 BIRDS OCCURRING IN INDIA NOT DESCRIBED at all, but the breast covered with more or less distinct small bars of brown, which occupy the tip of each feather; the flanks deepening into rust-colour; the under tail-coverts dusky brown, washed with rufous and lined down the centre with shaft stripes of buff; bill horn-brown, paler on the lower mandible ; feet horn-brown. Total length, 9°8 inches; culmen, 0:7; wing, 4°9; tail, 4-1; tarsus, 1°35. Macgillivray gives the following account of the progress of the young towards maturity :—“ After the first moult, which commences in September, and is completed by the end of November, the plumage of the males is in some almost uniform- ly brownish black, while in others the foreneck, and espe- cially the breast, are more or less lunulated with light brown and grey. In all, the auricular coverts are brownish black, without light coloured shafts, which is never the case in the young females.” The young male birds of the year, though in black plumage, may always be told by their blackish bill; thus it is that we see some specimens, apparently fully adult, with the latter black. There can, we think, be no doubt that when once this bill has became yellow it never changes, only deepening into a fine orange as the bird gets older. On examining these black- billed specimens it will also be observed that the black plu- mage is more or less shaded with brownish, and even in’ some yellow-billed birds this shade is apparent, showing that fine silky black plumage is only assumed by the very old bird.— Dresser, ‘ Birds of Europe.” 372 ter.—Oreocincla spiloptera, Bly. Length about eight inches and a half; of wing four inches, and tail three and a quarter ; bill to gape above an inch, and tarsi and inch and a quarter. Colour uniform rich olive brown above, inclining to tawny ; below white, with black spots near- ly resembling those of the Missel Thrush ; middie of throat, lower abdomen, vent and lower tail-coverts, spotless; wing-coverts black, margined more or less with the hue of the back, and each conspicuously tipped with a pure white spot; bill blackish and very robust; the tarsi brown and slender. Inhabits Ceylon.— Blyth, J. A. S. B., 1847, 142. IN JERDON OR STRAY FEATHERS. 383 372 quat.—Oreocincla imbricata, Layard, Holdsworth says that thisis nothing but O. nilghiriensis, vide P. Z. 8., 1872, 446. On the other hand I have suspected that it may be O. gregoriana, vide 8. F., 1V., 244. I quote now Layard’s original description :— ** Among the birds received from Mr. Thwaites is one which I cannot identify with any Indian species, and which may perhaps prove new. Ihave, therefore, provisionally named it: imbricata from its scaled appearance. Length about 9 inches; of closed wing, 4°75; tail, 3; bill to end of gape, 1°25 in; tarsi, 1:08. General colour of back and upper tail-coverts darkish olive brown, darker on the head ; each feather pales off to the edge, where a black border, one line in breadth, succeeds; tail fea- thers wholly brown ; shafts black ; shafts of wing feathers dark brown ; outer webs reddish brown ; inner webs dark brown. On the breast the same style of marking prevails, the colours being pale rufous yellow, darkening into deep rufous, with very dark brown edge; vent and under tail-coverts rufous ; bill corneous ; legs brown.—Layard, A.and M., N. H., XJIL, 212, 1854. 390 ter.—Alcippe nigrifrons, Blyth. Closely affined to A. atriceps, Jerdon, from which it differs in not having the whole crown black, but only the forehead continued as a line backward over each eye and the ear-coverts ; the tail also is darker and distinctly rayed with dusky black. General hue fulvous brown above, and on the flanks and lower tail-coverts; rest of the under parts pure white; the axillaries tinged with rufescent. Wing, 2'25inches. The irides are pale straw colour.— Blyth. 404 bis—Pomatorhinus melanurus, Blyth. Resembles P. Horsfeildi, but seems always to have a shorter bill, and the colours are more brought out; the hue of the upper parts is more rufescent ; the tail much blacker, and the cap is suffused with blackish, mingled with rufescent, but con- trasting with the rufescent hue of the rest of the upper parts ; the black of the tail affords the readiest distinction. Inhabits Ceylon.— Blyth. 3884 BIRDS OCCURRING IN INDIA NOT DESCRIBED The colour of the sexes is alike. The back, wings, flanks, vent, and under tail-coverts rich olive brown with a rufous tinge, especially on the flanks ; from the base of the upper man- dible to the nape black, extending to the mixed olive brown and black on the top of the head; throat, breast, middle of abdomen, and a conspicuous supercilium pure silky white ; tail blackish brown. The young bird is much more rufous gener- ally, and has the ear-coverts and the sides of the neck and breast quite rusty. Lord Walden has a series of specimens of Pomatorhinus, the localities of which are not very intelligible on the labels; but the birds were probably obtained in the south or south-east of the island. All these have the upper surface quite rufous, extend- ing also to the tail ; this colouring is not found in one of the many specimens I have obtained from Nuwara Eliya, and is so marked as almost to justify a specific distinction. Bill yellow, with the base dusky above ; irides dark red ; feet lead colour.— Holdsworth. 409 bis.—Garrulax cinereifrons, Blyth. T have examined a great number of specimens of this species, and have found them agree very closely with each other, but they differ so materially in dimensions from those given by Blyth that I can only suppose he had but one example before him, and that an immature bird. This impression is confirmed by the specific name cinereifrons, given by him, and agreeing with his description—“ Forehead and cheeks pale ashy’—whereas the birds I have examined have the whole top of the head ashy, that colour often extending over the nape, as well as the cheeks, which are paler than the rest of the head ; chin albescent, be- coming rufous on the throat; in other respects the colours agree with Blyth’s description. The dimensions of a specimen I obtained at Kandy, and which is not at all unnaturally stretched out, but fairly represents an adult bird, measures fully 10 inches instead of 8:5; the other comparative dimensions are :—Wing, 4:75, 4°5 5 tail, 4°5, 4; bill to gape, 13, 1-25; tarsus, 1°5, 1:25. Billblack ; irides buff; feet dusky.— Holdsworth. Akin to G. delesserti of the Nilgiris, but differing much in its colouring. General hue a rich brown above, much paler below ; forehead and cheeks pale ashy ; chin and borders of the outer primaries albescent ; bill blackish ; legs dusky corneous. Length, 8-5 inches ; wing, 4°5; tail 4; its outermost feather, 1:12 shorter ; bill to gape, 1:25 ; tarsi, 1:25.—Blyth. IN JERDON OR STRAY FEATHERS. 385 415 dis.—Trochalopteron ruficapillum, Blyth. | Nearly affined to T. erythrocephalus, (Vigors), from which it is distinguished by having the chin and broad supercilia ash grey; forehead greyish ; throat, front of neck, and breast rufous, with an admixture of golden yellow on the last ; no black spots on the nape and breast, but darker lunate markings in place of them; restas in TZ. erythrocephalum, to which T. chrysopterum, (Gould), inhabiting an intermediate range of ter- ritory, is also closely affined. Common at Cherra Poonjee.— Blyth. 432 bis.—Malacocercus striatus, Swains. “A comparison of specimens of M. striatus I obtained in Ceylon with M. malabaricus in the Calcutta Museum, left me in great doubt as to the reason for separating them specifically, and I cannot but think they will ultimately be included under the same name. The depth of the striz in IJ. striatus varies with age. In a well-grown young bird there is not a trace of striz on the tertiaries, and they are very indistinct on the tail. In a fully adult bird, now before me, the striation exactly agrees with Jerdon’s description of that character in M. mala- baricus : “‘ the tertiaries are very obscurely striated, but the tail is distinctly so.” The distinctive character of UM. striatus has hitherto been shown by comparing it with I. terricolor ; but it should have been placed by the side of the Malabar species. “ Young birds are slightly rufous. “Bill pale yellow ; irides pale buff; feet pale yellow.”— Holdsworth. Swainson’s original description is as follows :—“ Entirely light brown ; wings and tail darker; quills marked by trans- verse dark lines; bill and feet yellow ; margin of the quills changeable greyish white.”’ The plate represents the tertiaries and rectrices as very strongly transversely rayed. Blyth says (Ibis, 1867, 300) :— “This very closely resembles J. terricolor, but has the ter- tiaries and tail much more distinctly marked with cross strie seen at all angles of reflection, and the under parts are more deeply tinged with rufous.” 386 BIRDS OCCURRING IN INDIA NOT DESCRIBED 437 bis.—Layardia rufescens, Blyth. Colour deep brown above, with no admixture of grey except on the crown and bordering the primaries ; flanks, abdomen, and lower tail-coverts much the same, but the throat and breast vinaceous brown; bill, orbital skin and feet bright orange- yellow ; irides white. Length about 10 inches; wing, 4 inches ; tail, 5 inches ; its outermost feathers, 1°75 inches less ; bill to gape, 1 inch ; tarsi, 1°37 inch.— Blyth, Ibis, 1867, 300. 453 bis.—Spizixos canifrons, Blyth. Spizixos, nobis, n. g.—General structure of Pycnonotus, but differing greatly in the shortness and (for a member of this group) extraordinary thickness of the bill, the lateral outline of which approaches that of Conostoma emodium, Hodgson, except that the tip of the upper mandible curves more decidedly downward over that of the lower mandible, being also pointed and distinctly notched, with a sinuation corresponding to the notch in the lower mandible : as viewed from above, however, the resemblance to the beak of the Conostoma ceases, for that of the present bird narrows evenly to a point from a tolerably wide base ; the ridge of the upper mandible is obtusely angu- Jated, and it is distinctly arched, rising at base where concealed by the feathers of the forehead. Rest as in Pycnonotus, but approaching to Criniger. Sp. canifrons, nobis.—Length about eight inches, of wing probably three and three-quarters (but the first primaries were growing in the specimen), and of tail three and a half ; bill to forehead a little exceeding half an inch, and to gape three- quarters ; tarsi also three-quarters of an inch. General colour bright olive green, becoming yellowish-green and more vivid on the rump and margins of the primaries, and inclining also to yellow on the belly, and more decidedly on the lower tail- coverts ; forehead and chin pale ashy ; the nape, with the sides and front of the neck, somewhat darker, passing into blackish on the throat ; and the crown black, its feathers lengthened to form a crest nearly an inch high ; tail-feathers largely tipped with blackish ; bill yellow ; and legs brown. Hab.—Cherra Poonjee, or the hill ranges bordering on Sylhet to the northward.— Blyth, J. A. S. B., 1845, 571. IN JERDON OR STRAY FEATHERS. 387 455 bis.—Rubigula melanictera, Gm. The entire head, nape and cheeks intense, yet unglossed, black; remainder of the whole upper surface of the body yellowish olive-green ; margins of the outer webs of all the wing-feathers more or less of the same colour, the outer edges of the primaries being somewhat yellower ; quills and rectrices hair-brown ; inner margins of all, except the first primary, edged with yellowish-albescent, increasing in extent with every succeeding quill, commencing with the second ; upper surface of the tail brown, as in the quills; middle rectrices faintly edged with the olive-green of the upper plumage ; external pairs more decidedly so; under surface of rectrices pale brown, all with white or albescent terminal bands, the middle pair excepted ; entire under surface rich saffron-yellow, purest on the chin, throat, abdomen and under tail and wing-coverts. Wing, 3°75 inches ; tail, 3°25 inches ; iris brown in the female ; bill and feet black ; the upper and under tail-coverts are very much developed ; the first covering fully half the basal portion of the tail, the last extending even further.— Walden, “ Ibis,” 1866, 316. 470 bis.—Oriolus galbula, Zin. Adult Male.—Entire plumage, except the wings and tail, rich golden yellow ; a broad stripe from the base of the bill to the eye, covering the lores, deep black ; wings jet- black, the quills tipped and externally narrowly margined with yellowish white or sulphur-yellow ; edge of the wing and under wing-coverts rich yellow, the primary coverts being broadly terminated with the same colour ; tail black, broadly terminated with yellow, the outer rectrices being more broadly, and the inner ones less marked with this colour ; the central rectrices black, only narrowly tipped with yellow ; bill dull reddish ; iris blood-red ; legs lead grey. Total length about 9-9°5 ; culmen, 0°95; wing, 5:9; tail, 3°6; tarsus, 0°85. Adult Female.—Differs considerably from the male ; upper parts (excepting the wings) greenish yellow or apple-green ; the patch in front of the eye dull brownish black ; wings as in the male, but duller and browner, the edgings being pale sulphur-yellow ; secondaries and wing-coverts washed with dull greenish yellow; tail as in the male, except that the yellow markings are only on the inner webs, the outer 388 BIRDS OCCURRING IN INDIA NOT DESCRIBED webs of the feathers being blackish ; under parts white, on the lower throat, breast, and flanks washed with bright yellow, the vent and under tail-coverts being entirely yellow; throat, breast, and flanks more or less distinctly streaked with blackish brown. Young Male.—Closely resembles the female, but is only a little more yellow in tinge of plumage.—Dresser, “ Birds of Europe.” 492 bis.—Saxicola hendersoni, Hume. (For breed- ing plu., vide 8. F., I1., 526.) Dimensions. Male. Male. | Male. Female. | Female, Length ies p00 6:5 6 6 5°75 5:75 Expanse 00 set [ee AAS along pice main IMP ok seer nel ene oe Tail ae 200 3 nese 23 2° 2:2 Wing a nod 3°95 3:75 3°75 37 35 Bill at front .,. 500 0-45 0:45 0:46 0°45 0°45 Tarsus ~ ss. on) | OBES 0:93 0:95 0-9 0:94 Deseription.—The bill, legs and feet are black. Plumage.—Male.—The lores, a narrow band on the fore- head, cheeks, ear-coverts, chin, throat, upper portion of breast and sides of neck black—a colour that in winter plumage would doubtless be more or Jess concealed by pale tips to the feathers, which are already beginning to show themselves in the specimens killed early in September. A narrow band from the forehead over the eye and ear-coverts fawny white; front, top and back of the head, and back of the neck grey brown ; possibly in full breeding plumage these parts may be white, because on lifting the feathers the medial portion of each feather is shown to be white, the tips only brown, the bases dusky. In the specimen which has assumed least of the winter dress, the medial white portion is far broader and more conspicuous than in other specimens further advanced towards the winter plumage. Wings, scapulars, interscapulary region, black, probably in full breeding plumage nearly pure black; but in the September specimens all the feathers of the back are so tipped with rufous IN JERDON OR STRAY FEATHERS. 389 brown that the black is greatly concealed, and all the coverts, tertiaries, and secondaries are broadly margined with rufous fawn ; rump and upper tail-coverts pure white; central tail- feathers black, except for the basal one-fourth, where they are white ; lateral tail feathers white, the exterior on each side tipped for about 0°75 with black; the penultimate similarly tipped for about 0°4, and the rest with only a black spot at the tip, de- creasing in size as the feathers approach the central ones, and disappearing entirely in some specimens; lower breast and abdomen rufous fawn, paling towards the vent, which, with the lower tail-coverts, is in some specimens nearly pure white; wing-lining, axillaries, and sides black, but a little white mot- tling along the edge of the wing at the carpal joint. The females have the foreheads and a stripe over the eye rufous fawn colour ; the lores slightly dusky ; the ear-coverts more rufous; chin, throat, and sides of the neck nearly uni- colorous with the breast, which is as in the male, but the chin and throat are slightly greyer; the front, top, and back of the head and neck, and back are slightly rufous grey brown, the bases of the feathers being rather pale bluish dusky ; the wings and tail are as in the male, but with dark brown substi- tuted for black.— Hume, “ Lahore to Yarkand.” 498 dis.—Ruticilla erythronota, Zversm. I believe that there is but little doubt that this species and R. rufogularis, Moore, are one and the same species. Eversinan’s original description (Add. II., 11, 1841) is as follows : “Head and nape ashy; back, throat, breast and tail below, ferruginous: belly and vent whitish; wings black ; the first coverts white. “Of the general character of Ruticilla phenicura, but a little larger and stouter; bill black, of the same shape as in phenicura ; head above and nape ashy; forehead whiter; back and rump ferruginous ; a considerable area on each side of the head black, beginning above the nostrils at the base of the bill, continued through the eyes, occupying the upper cheeks and the sides of the neck, continued to the flexure of the wing, and bounding the ashy colour of the head and neck; throat and breast ferruginous, which colour lower passes gradually © into the whitish colour of the belly and vent; the wings, searcely reaching the middle of the tail, black ; towards the shoulder blacker; quills margined ashy ; the first coverts con- 50 390 BIRDS OCCURRING IN INDIA NOT DESCRIBED stituting the margin of the ulna white, so that an elongated white spot (or patch) is formed, bounded above by the black edge of the wing, below by the latest coverts ; the coverts of the primary quills black, in the middle white. “The two middle tail feathers blackish, the rest ferruginous ; the outer feather on each side margined blackish towards the tips. “‘T killed two males on the 5th March in the Stoney Altai Mountains near the village Uimon. “ Dimensions.—Leneth, 62; tail, 3°02 ; bill from frontal angle, 0:45 ; from gape, 0°65; tarsus, 0:98.” Moore’s description of his species runs thus: “ Male—Crown. and back of neck mixed grey and ash; lores, ear-coverts and sides of neck black ; wings and medial tail feathers dark brown ; apical margin of the exterior web of the outer tail feather dusky ; smaller wing-coverts (except the feathers immediately on the shoulder), scapulars, basal portion of the speculars, and apical margins of the greater wing-coverts white; exterior margin of the secondaries pale rufescent; throat and breast, back, and upper tail-coverts and tail rufous; abdomen, under wing and tail-coverts pale rufescent. “« Hemale.—Cinereous brown above, rufescent beneath ; wings dark brown, margined with pale rufescent ; lower part of back, upper tail-coverts and tail rufous; the two medial feathers dark brown ; exterior margin of the outer dusky.” Blanford thus describes Shiraz specimens :— “© Male.—Head and nape pale ash grey, with a few black feathers above the nostrils and base of the bill, scarcely amounting to a distinct frontal band ; back, throat, and breast deep ferruginous ; rump a little paler ; lateral rectrices the same, with a little brown near the ends of the external webs of the outer two pairs; central pair of rectrices dark brown throughout, except on the margin of the outer webs, which is rufous; extreme chin, sides of the chin and neck, lores, and ear-coverts black; quills hair brown, with pale edges; coverts blackish brown, with a broad transverse white band formed by the median coverts, and the greater coverts of the secondaries nearest the body; abdomen, under tail-coverts, and inner margins of the quills pale isabel- line; axillaries white at the ends, black towards the base ; inner wing-coverts mixed black and white. In specimens shot in September and December all the colours are less pure, the feathers of the crown have brown margins, and the red of the back and breast is much concealed by the brown margins of the feathers above, and by isabelline edging below; the black of the sides of the head and neck also is brownish. “* Female.—Rather pale earthy brown above; rump and outer tail feathers ferruginous ; the latter brownish at the ends; central IN JERDON OR STRAY FEATHERS. 391 rectrices dark brown; quills hair brown with pale edges, which are broadest and whitest on the last secondaries and the median eoverts, forming an indistinct whitish bar on the wing; sides of head and lower parts pale greyish brown, much paler than the back, and becoming whitish on the abdomen and lower tail- coverts, the latter having a very slight rufous tinge. Measure- ments :—- Wing. Tail. Tarsus. Culmen. Male Me eR iPr actiad guest 345 27 09 0-62 - Ser eeyt se eae te 342 275 O09 O06 Martalanted tcl LAL tds 325 265 0:85 0°62 & Mee eek ee SeOr yn Bk e On (1082 In some specimens all the outer rectrices are brownish at the tips, the shafts being the darkest parts, but this is not always the case.” 504.—Ruticilla ceeruleocephala, V9. Mr. Blyth correctly points out that the female is not, as Dr. Jerdon supposes, very similar to, but in fact very different from, the male. The intensely deep ferruginous upper tail-coverts distinguish the female of this species from every other Indian bird for which it could possibly be mistaken. Dr. Jerdon’s dimensions also differ widely from the results of my measurements. Of a male.—Length, 5°8 to 6:0; wing, 3:12; bill at front, 0°36 ; fourth and fifth quills equal, sixth and third equal. In winter plumage, both the black and blue of the male are so concealed by pale brown or rufous tippings that even the male is not easily recognised from Dr. Jerdon’s description. As for the female, she is dull, dark olivaceous brown above, tinged with rusty on the rump, and with the upper tail-coverts deep ferruginous ; throat, breast, and flanks dull earthy brown, somewhat paler than back; abdomen albescent; lower tail and under wing-coverts nearly pure white; tail blackish brown ; wings dark brown; tertiaries edged pale rusty, some of the wing- coverts with more or less of white or pale tippings ; chin, and a scarcely perceptible frontal line, albescent.—Hume, “ Lahore to Yarkand.” 514 dis.—Cyanecula wolfii, Brehm. There are three forms of Blue Throats. First.—With the entire throat unspotted blue. This was the form to which the name wolfit was assigned, 392 BIRDS OCCURRING IN INDIA NOT DESCRIBED Second.— With a white satin-like spot in the middle of the blue, This is the form to which Brehm. gave the name of leucocyanea, It is generally assumed, (though denied by Newton, Yar. B. 324) that these two forms are one species, and on this assump- tion the name wol/ii has precedence. Third.—With a red spot in the middle of the blue. This is Linné’s suecica. The white spot form is excessively rare in the plains of India. I possess now only one single specimen, a male in full breeding plumage, shot by Mr. Adam in Tirhoot, on the 9th April; and I have seen altogether perhaps half a dozen from various parts of India. In the interior of the Himalayas, north of Ley and the Indus, many specimens have been met with. I am by no means sure that wolfii and leucocyanea are one and the same, but I have no sufficient series of specimens, or personal knowledge of the two forms to enable me to come to any con- clusion on the subject, and by way of calling attention to it reproduce Dresser’s description and remarks :— “© Adult Male.—(Barcelona, May.) Resembles the adult male of Cyanecula suecica, except that the spot in the centre of the blue throat is pure white instead of bay. “¢ Adult Female.—(Spain.) Upper parts as in the adult male ; throat and foreneck white, on the sides of the throat marked with black so closely as to appear to have a continuous broad line of that colour; across the upper part of the breast there is also a band of black markings, but less clearly defined than those on the sides of the throat; rest of the underparts whit- ish, washed with grey, especially on the flanks; and this grey tinge is also present on the pectoral bands and the sides of the throat; under tail and wing-coverts washed with pale orange. “ Young Male in first Autumn.—(Solling, Hartz). Upper parts as in the adult bird, but rather duller, and more uniform in colour, and here and there a few of the nestling feathers re- main; secondaries and wing-coverts margined with rufous ; from the base of the bill over the eye pale rufous; chin and throat white, washed with yellowish, on each side bordered with black, and to some extent dull blue; below this white patch a broad pectoral band of blackish, and here and there a blue feather intermixed with some of the feathers of the nest- ling plumage ; and below this the breast is washed with rufous ; rest of the underparts dull white. “¢ Adult Male in Winter.—(Malaga, February). Resembles the male in spring plumage; but instead of the brilliant blue throat, with a central white spot, the chin and upper parts of the throat are white, only on the sides (which are otherwise blackish) slightly marked with blue; lower part of the throat IN JERDON OR STRAY FEATHERS. 393 below where the white spot is present in the summer plumage blue, obscured by the feathers having whitish tips; below this the black and bay bands are present, but are somewhat obscured, owing to the feathers having white tips. “ Observations.—A male killed in December, near Malaga, now in the collection of Mr. Howard Saunders, resembles the speci- men last described, but has the white on the chin and throat rather blurred with black and slightly washed with pale yellowish orange ; and I should think that it is a younger bird than that, more especially as I observed that all the immature specimens appear to have the throat slightly clouded with yellowish; and I find it most difficult to distinguish them from the young of C. suecica in that plumage. A male, in my own collection, shot at Halle, in Saxony, in the autumn, resembles the adult female above described, but has the lower part of the throat and upper part of the breast washed with dull blue ; and there are one or two dull orange-coloured feathers on the breast, some of which are narrowly tipped with blue. The old female probably assumes a plumage closely’ resem- bling that of the young male, as is the case with the female of C'. suecica. A specimen obtained at Granada, in September 1870, and marked “ female,’’ has the throat and breast as in the male in winter plumage above described, but has the white on the throat washed with yellowish. I have carefully examined what specimens I have been able to procure of Cyanecula wolfii, especially the form having the blue throat without any central spot, and am unable to find any specific difference between it and the ordinary white-spotted bird. Even those which have the throat at the first glance pure unspotted blue, have, on closer examination, the base of at least one or two feathers white. Ihave before me examples with the central white spot very clearly developed and large, others with it smaller, and in fact there isa perfect gradation between those with a large spot and those having the blue uni- form and unspotted. Professor Newton (Yar. Brit. B., p. 324) looks upon the unspotted bird as being distinct from the pre- sent species, and states that it has the tarsus smaller, measuring 0°95 to 1 inch, whereas in the white-spotted bird it measures 1:04 to 1:08, and in C. suecica from 1 inch to 1:18. Against this I may remark that I have measured three examples of the unspotted bird and compared them with three of each of the white-spotted species, and C. suecica, these latter being picked out at random, merely as being extremely fine and adult males ; and the measurements are as follows :— Culmen, Wing, Tail, Tarsus, inch. inches. inches. inch. Cyanecula wolfit (unspotted) 0 68-0°7-0°7 86-2°85-2 98 2°43-2°28-2°4 1°09-1°12-1°0. 8-278 2°3-2°41-2 33 1°05-0°95-1°03, 2°86-2 + (white-spotted) 068-0 71-0°69 2°84-2°98-2 2 Cyanecula suecica, (red-spotted) 0°7-0°7-0°67 3-02-2°9-2'86 —-2°47-2°45-2°46 1°2-1°1-1°1, 394 BIRDS OCCURRING IN INDIA NOT DESCRIBED With the above facts before me I cannot look on the unspot- ted bird as being a distinct species, but consider that it is merely in the state of plumage in which the white spot is absent, and is probably an old male of the White-spotted Blue Throat. This being the case, I have no alternative but to use the specific appellation of wo/fit instead of leucocyanea, it having the precedence by nine years.—Dresser, “ Birds of Europe.” 519 bis.—Schoenicola brunneipectus, Bly. (vide S. F,, VIL, 38.) Blyth’s description of this species, which I reproduce for pur- poses of comparison, appears to me as I said at the time (S. F., III, 284) to agree perfectly, so far as it goes, with Mr. Brooks’ S. mandelli. Of course spotting or no spotting on the breast goes for nothing in this group. Blyth says, Jbis, 1867, 19 :— Dumeticola brunnectus, Sp. Nov. Size and form of D. affinis, and the upper parts are of the same uniform dark olive brown colour ; lores, chin and throat, and middle of the belly pure white ; sides of the throat, breast, flanks, and tibial plumes rufescent brown; lower tail-coverts brown, with broad, pale tips, though considerably less broad than are the white tips to the lower tail-coverts of D. ajfinis.” 536 quat.—Prinia humilis, Hume. Dimensions.—Length, 4°75 ; expanse, 5°5 ; tail, 225 ; wing, 2; when closed, reaching to within 1°38 of end of tail; bill from front, 4; tarsus, 0°76. Descriptions.—Head, neck, and upper back pale earthy brown, with an olive green shade ; scapulars, lower back, and rump rufous olivaceous brown; quills brown, edged with rufous brown ; tail (of twelve feathers) brown, faintly rufous, obscure~ ly rayed above, beneath all but the two middle feathers con- spicuously and narrowly tipped with white, and with a broad blackish brown subterminal band ; lower parts silky fulvous white ; the breast shaded obscurely with dusky, and the flanks, lower abdomen, and tibial feathers distinctly tinged with pale rufous buff ; legs and feet pale reddish brown; bill black ; IN JERDON OR STRAY FEATHERS. 395 irides pale orange. A very narrow pale line from the nostrils over the eye, almost: meeting on the forehead, which line, very apparent in the freshly-killed bird, is hardly traceable in badly- preserved skins. The bill in this species is really much smaller and feebler than that of P. socialis, P. flaviventris, P. stewarti, or P. gra- cilis, and is about the same size as that of P. hodgsont. This species differs conspicuously from P. gracilis in the con- colorous back and head, and the generally paler and greener tint of the upper parts. I at one time fancied that this might be Dr. Jerdon’s P. adamsi (B. Ind., IL, p. 170) ; but that has ten, while this has always twelve tail feathers. These little birds are common (climbing and flitting about restlessly in low scrub jungle) throughout the North-West Pro-. vinces and the Panjab, in suitable localities. 1 have never found them in fields or gardens, but always amongst scattered stunted bushes or waste places. The stomachs of all I examined contained tiny ants and almost microscopical beetles— Hume, “ Ibis,” 1870, 144. 543 bis.—Drymoica fusca, Hodgs. Type, Prinia fusca, mihi.—Length, 5 inches ; bill, 0°56 ; tail; 2:6; wing, less 1°75; tarsi, 0-81; yeni) toe nell nail, 0:56 hind, ‘43, Above lutescent brown; laterally luteous ; below white ; tips of the caudals with black drops, margined with white ; bill dusky ; legs corneous ; iris brown.—Hodys., Las 1845, 29. 545 ¢ter.—Drymoica valida, Blyth. Differs from D. sylvatica of the Nilgiris in its darker shade of colour above, and larger and stronger bill and legs, which last appear to have been of a deep reddish brown colour; the flanks and sides of the breast are rather dusky ; irides light red-brown.— Blyth. Bill entirely black, stouter and considerably deeper than I have seen in any other Ceylon species; top of the head, lores, and general upper surface dark greyish brown; beneath whitish, with a pale fulvous tinge ; cheeks, sides of the breast, and flanks dusky. Length, 6 inches; wing, 2°4; tarsus, 1; bill at front ‘d.— Holdsworth. 396 BIRDS OCCURRING IN INDIA NOT DESCRIBED 553 bis—Hypolais caligata, Hversm. i reproduce my original description of Jerdonia agricolensis, which is said by ornithologists at home, who are supposed to have examined Hversmann’s types, to be identical with his caligata. The matter seems to me still open to question, but anyhow if the birds should prove tc be different, it is the bird described by me below that occurs, and indeed is very common with as in Upper and Western India. Dimensions.—Length, 4:5 to 5 ; expanse, 6°5 to 7; wing, 2°22 to 2°32; tail from vent, 1°9 to 2:1; tarsus, °8 ; middle toe and claw, ‘63 ; hind toe and claw,°4; outer toe and claw, ‘38 ; bill from front, *35 to ‘39 ; from gape, ‘55 to °62 ; width at gape, °28 ; height at base, -09. Description.-—Bill, upper mandible dark brown, with the edges light; lower mandible flesh-coloured, rather dusky to- wards the tip ; 5 inside of mouth orange yellow ; ; legs and feet fleshy grey, in some tinged with yellowish, especially on the soles, in some glaucous ; “irides hazel brown. Plumage (immediately after the Autumnat moult).—Feathers of the head, nape, back, and scapulars lax, hair brown, tinged towards the margins with a paler, slightly rufous or fulvous brown (the whole in some specimens with a faint shade of olive.) Rump paler and rather more rufous in tone ; upper tail-coverts hair brown, with lighter fulvous brown edges; tail dark brown, all but the two outermost rectrices very narrowly mar- gined with pale fulvous or greyish white ; outermost feather on each side with the whole of the outer web dull or greyish- white ; tips and internal margin also greyish white; rectri- ces next to the outermost similar, but with less white on the outer webs and more on the tips. A conspicuous superciliary streak from the nostril extending over the eye to the ear-coverts of a pale buff, or rich cream- colour ; lores, cheeks, and ear-coverts the same asthe crown of the head, but of alighter shade ; the lower parts buffy, vary- ing in shade and in warmth of tone in different specimens, but always palest, and in some almost white, on the chin, the middle of the abdomen, the vent and lower tail-coverts ; sides and flanks slightly infuscated; axillaries, wing-lining, and edge of wing from carpal joint cream coloured, varying in warmth of tin ge in different specimens ; lower surface of remiges and rectrices brownish orey. The wing hair brown, as dark as the tail ; the primaries and secondaries very narrowly, and the coverts and tertiaries broadly, margined with rufous or fulvous brown of the same tone as the rufous of the back. IN JERDON OR STRAY FEATHERS. 397 It is only on close examination that the difference in the colours of the margins and centres of the feathers of the head, back, and other parts is observed ; looked at from the distance of a couple of feet, these parts appear of a uniform brown, less rufous in tone than that of the same parts of Acrocephalus agricolus, to which the bird, after its autumnal moult, presents a general resemblance in colouring (though of course differing, as already noticed, in structure), but still, in most specimens, with a certain shade of rufous. The amount of this of course varies, some specimens being greyer and some more rufous. At this season of the year it would be impossible (setting aside structural differences) to mistake this species for Hy- polais rama ; it is altogether a darker bird, conspicuously so when on the wing ; it never has the uniformly mouse or grey brown of that species; its habits, too, are widely different, quite those of an Acrocephalus (like A. dumetorum), frequenting thick crops, from which itis only flushed with great difficulty, dropping again after a short flight. HW. rama, on the other hand, is rarely found in, and never sticks close to thick ground covert, but affects trees and bushes, more especially the babool (Acacia arabica). The notes are entirely those of an Acrocephalus, most resem- bling those of A. dumetorum, but perhaps rather more saxico- line in their character. In the spring and summer the whole upper surface of the bird becomes paler, and what some would describe as more rufous, others as more sandy, while the lower parts lose a great deal of their warm buffy tint; the remiges and rectrices also fare similarly. In this stage it might easily be mistaken by a casual observer for a small specimen of H. rama; but its upper surface is always somewhat more rufous in tone than that of the latter. Comparing specimens of our bird freshly moulted, at the close of September, with specimens of H. rama in similar plum- age, the difference (independent of structure and habits) is very noticeable. HH. rama, even in its fresh feathers, is a smooth, light grey-brown bird, very uniform in colour, and with the lower parts quite devoid of the ruddy buff tint of caligata. The feet, too, of H. rama are of a greenish blue grey, darker about the foot (the soles excepted), while the feet of caligata are of a warmer flesh colour ; indeed, in the colour of the feet and tarsi the birds differ conspicuously.—Hume, “ Jbis,” 1870, 182. ol 398 BIRDS OCCURRING IN INDIA NOT DESCRIBED 553 ter.—Hypolais pallida, Hemp. and Ehr. This species, or sub-species, is very close to H. rama, but is somewhat larger with a longer and decidedly larger bill. [have received a specimen from Sindh, which was undistinguishable from one of eleica (which I include under pallida) from Europe. The two forms rama and pallida, however, quite run into each other, and many of the Sindh and Beluchistan specimens are quite intermediate. Blanford contrasts thus the dimensions of typical examples of both races :— H. rama. Wing, 2°35-2°53; culmen, 057-0°68 ; 2nd primary equals 7th-9th HH. pallida. ,, 2°45-2°7; 9 0°6-0°72 ; 2nd é 3 Ooth-7th The following is Dresser’s description :— “ Adult Male—Upper parts pale dull olive-brown, clearer on the back in colour, and rather lighter on the rump; from the base of the bill over the eye a rather indistinct yellow- ish stripe ; wings dark brown; the inner secondaries lighter in colour, all the feathers having lighter margins ; tail dark brown, very narrowly edged with lighter brown; underparts buffy white; the throat and the centre of the abdomen almost pure white ; flanks washed with pale brownish ; bill horn-brown, dull yellowish at the base of the lower mandible; legs pale horn brown; iris dark brown. Total length about 5 inches ; culmen, 0°62; breadth of under mandible at base, 0°22; wing, 2°63; first primary extending 0:27 beyond the wing-coverts, and 1:15 shorter than the second ; second 0:2 shorter than the third ; third and fourth equal ; tail, 2°2; tarsus, 0°83. ‘‘ Female.—NSimilar to the male, but, if anything, a trifle greyer on the upper parts.’—Lresser, “ Birds of Europe.” 553 quat.—Hypolais languida, Hemp. and Ehr. This is another of this group of earth brown Warblers that may be accepted as a species or ranked as a race selon le goit. This present form is more distinct than many others, and though extremely like H. pallida, may be distinguished from it by its somewhat larger size and much shorter and narrower first pri- mary, and if birds killed in the same month are compared by its greater tinge. It occurs in Beluchistan, and has been re- ported from Sindh, whence non vidi. IN JERDON OR STRAY. FEATHERS. 399 Dresser thus describes it :— “ Adult Male.—(Magas, Beluchistan, 28th March). In general coloration of plumage similar to H. pallida, but a trifle greyer in general tinge ; bill narrower and more slender ; first primary much shorter and narrower, more resembling that of H. olive- torum. Total length, about 5°25 inches ; culmen, 0°75 ; wing, 3:1; tail, 2°75 ; tarsus, 0°9; first primary scarcely as long as the pri- mary coverts, 1°8 shorter than the second; second, 0:2 shorter than the third; third and fourth about equal ; soft parts as in H. pallida.’ —Dresser, “ Birds of Europe.” 566 ¢er.—Reguloides chloronotus, Hodgs. (vide S. F., IV., 505). “Abrornis maculipennis: Nobis, Sp. Nov. «This is a species allied to A. superciliaris (A. flaviventris, No. 574), but with two distinct yellowish-white wing bands and an oval whitish spot at the tip of the outer web of each tertiary ; crown dusky greyish-olive, with white supercilia and albescent medial streak ; upper parts olive green; the throat and breast ashy ; belly, flanks and rump band dull yellow; three outer tail- feathers on each side having their inner webs white. Wing, 2°75 inches; tail, 1°25; tarsi, 5:8. From Nipal or Sikhim. Specimen in the India Museum at Fyfe House.”—Blyth, “ Lbis,”’ 1867, 27. 577 bis.—Abrornis griseifrons, @. 2. Gr. in. Blyth. “Upper surface olivaceous yellow ; front obscure grey ; eye- brows, from nostrils to the hind head and throat, white; ear- coverts obscure grey and white ; wing-coverts fuscous, margined with olivaceous yellow ; quills fuscous black, margined exter- nally with olivaceous yellow, and internally with rufous white ; tail fuscous grey, margined externally with olivaceous yellow, and internally with rufous white; beneath the body bright yellow; bill plumbeous, and feet pale. Length, 4°1 inches ; wings, 2; tarsi, 9; bill from gape, 5.”,—Blyth, “ Ibis,” 1867, 27. 584 bis.—Henicurus guttatus, Gould. Head, breast, and back black ; the latter marked with round or oblong white spots, from the size of a No. 4 shot on the 400 BIRDS OCCURRING IN INDIA NOT DESCRIBED lower back to that of a pea on the neck, where they are closer together, and form a collar less conspicuous than in H. macu- latus; a circular patch on forehead ; belly, flanks, tail-coverts, and wing-bar white. Female the same, with a tinge of brown on the back of the head ; irides dark brown; legs and feet fleshy white ; bill black. The young is of a dull brownish-black, and has no white on the forehead or back. Length, 9°5 to 10-5 inches; tail, 5 to 6; bill from gape, °87; tarsus, 1:12 ; wing, 4. This species was not distinguished from H. maculatus until 1865, when it was separated by Mr. Gould under the appro- priate name of H. guttatus. Though several other distinctive marks are given, by which it is said to differ from its western representative, such as its smaller size, narrower tail-feathers, and smaller patch on the forehead, I am unable, after comparing a large series, to find any constant difference except in the shape and arrangement of the white spots on the back; and I believe that when a large series is procured from different parts of Nepal, it will be found impossible to define the limits of the two forms.—Llwes, “ Ibis,” 1872, 261. 592 bis.—Budytes rayi, Bp. Although I do not believe in the occurrence of this species within our limits, it may be as well to furnish such a descrip- tion as will suffice for its identification in case it does turn up. Just outside our limits in Yarkand it is common. Adult Male.—(Pagham, 25rd April). Upper parts olive- green, becoming yellowish green on the crown and forehead ; rump rather richer in colour than the back; quills dark grey- ish brown, the primaries narrowly, and the secondaries broadly, margined with buffy white, tinged with sulphur yellow ; lar- ger wing-coverts broadly tipped with sulphur-yellow; tail blackish brown, the two outer rectrices on each side white, margined on the basal portion of the inner web with blackish brown; entire underparts rich yellow; a broad stripe of yellow passes from the base of the bill over the eye nearly to the nape; and another streak of the same colour passes under the eye, there being an olive-green line between this latter and the bright yellow throat; bill and feet blackish ; iris dark brown. ‘Total length about 6°5 inches; culmen, 06 ; wing, 3:25; tail, 3:0; tarsus, 1:0; hind toe with claw, 0°68; hind toe, 0°38. IN JERDON OR STRAY FEATHERS. 401 Adult Female——(Pagham.) Resembles the male, but is much duller in colour; the throat and superciliary stripes are yellow- ish white, and the underparts are much paler yellow. Poung in first Autumn.—(Pagham, July.) Upper parts brownish olive, tinged with green on the rump; underparts buffy white, tinged with sulphur yellow on the lower abdo- men ; the lower throat and breast washed with brownish buff, forming a sort of dark band; superciliary stripe buffy white ; wings and tail as in the adult, but with rather broader and whiter margins, tinged with buff, but not with yellow. Observations.—In autumn dress the adult birds much resemble the young above described, but lack the buffy brown on the lower throat and breast. But sometimes the old males appear to retain their summer dress very late; for one killed on the 16th September differs only from old males in full spring plumage in having the underparts rather paler. I have figured an old male with the yellow head from Southern Russia, in which plumage it is called M. campestris, by the continental dealers ; but I may add that I have an old male from Hamp- stead, near London, in the same plumage, except that, if any- thing, the Russian specimen is a trifle cleaner and brighter in colour, though there is scarcely any difference between them. In this plumage the sides of the head and forehead, as far as the centre of the crown, are like the underparts, rich canary yellow, and only towards the hind crown and nape does this colour gradually merge into green on the hind neck and back. Donovan (l.c.) figures a British-killed bird which is much more richly coloured than any South Russian example I have ever seen, the entire head and upper neck being rich canary yellow. My second specimen, from Southern Russia, has the head coloured as in ordinary adult British birds.— Dresser, “Birds of Europe.” 594.—Budytes caicaratus, Hodgson. Under this name should probably stand the species described by Jerdon under the name of citreola; the true citreola is of course quite a different species, and in the fullest breeding plumage has the greater part of the upper surface grey, with only a black hood or cowl over the nape and upper back; on the other hand this present species calcaratus, which is des- eribed and figured by Gould under the name of citreodoides, has the entire back jet black in breeding plumage. 402 BIRDS OCCURRING IN INDIA NOT DESCRIBED Hodgson only described a bird in cold weather or early spring ‘plumage, so that the distinction does not come out very clearly in this; still looking to the black wings, upper tail- coverts, &e., 1 have no doubt that the name calearatus was applied to and must stand for this species. I reproduce from Asiatic Researches, Vol. XIX., Hodgson’s original description :— “Obviously distizguishable from the typical Wagtails by the shortness of the tail, the superior height and strength of the tarsi, and the longer, straighter, and extremely acuminated nails, the hind one of which is longer than its toe, and in our species as nearly straight as may be. “ Length, 7°75 inches, whereof the tail is but 5°5, extending only two: inches beyond the tips of the wings. Expanse of wings, 11 inches; weight, less loz.; bill, 0°62 of inch, and equal to head; tarsus, 1°19 ; central toe, 0-62; hind, 0°37 ; its claws, 0°44 ; above (with) the flanks grey slaty ; below, bright yellow; a yellow line on each side the head, above the eye, from bill to nape; wings, six central tail feathers, and upper coverts of tail black; the greater coverts of wings and the alar plumes very widely margined below, and also tipped with ' white; the six lateral rectrices much blanched, increasingly to the extremes which are nearly all white; legs biack; bill horn grey ; iris brown. « Female considerably less, 6°75 inches long ; similar to the male, but more dull coloured, and the alar and caudal black plumes of the male, brown in her.” 605 quint.—Anthus pratensis, Lin. Adult in Summer.—Upper parts with the centres of the feathers blackish brown, and the margins dull hair brown with the faintest olive tinge, the margins being narrowest on the crown and the interscapulary region; rump almost uniform brown, washed with olivaceous; wings dark brown; primaries narrowly edged with dirty white, “the inner ones having the margins washed withdull olive green ; inner secondaries and wing-coverts broadly margined on the: outer webs with dirty ais and washed with olivaceous brown; tail dark brown ; the outer rectrix white, excepting an oblique. broad patch from the base nearly to the tip of the inner web ; the next in order with a white patch on the inner web at the ‘tip ; ; sides of the head dull brown, marked with blackish brown; underparts white ; on the sides of the neck, breast, and flanks profusely IN JERDON OR STRAY FEATHERS. 403 marked with rather elongated blackish brown spots; beak blackish brown, inclining to yellow at the base of the lower mandible; legs light brown; iris dark brown. Total length about 54 to 6 inches; culmen, 0°6 ; wing, 3:0 ; tail, 2°25 ; tarsus, 0°85 ; hind toe with claw, 0°8 ; hind claw, 0:5. Adult in Winter. Upper parts rather browner than in the summer plumage, and the underparts washed with yellowish buff, which colour is deeper on the breast and flanks. Young.—The young bird differs very slightly from the adult, in having the spots on the upper parts and breast larger, and the breast and flanks washed with dull reddish buff. Femaie.—Is undistinguishable from the male in plumage.— Dresser, “ Birds of Europe.” } x jar wa rw & Adnan 624 bis.—Staphidea castaniceps, Joore. Colour above dull brownish olive; the shafts of the dorsal and scapular feathers pale ; crown dark chestnut and sub- erested ; the frontal plumes short and scaly, and having pale margins ; the occiput paler chestnut ; behind the eyes whitish ; ear-coverts chestnut ; wings blackish ; the secondaries and ter- -tiaries with pale shafts ; axille white; tail black, the three outer feathers graduated, and tipped obliquely externally with white, the next white at the extreme tip only, and the rest entirely black ; the whole underparts of a dirty ruddy white colour ; bill reddish brown ; legs yellowish. Length, 5°75 inches ; of wing, 2°3; tail, 2°25; its outer- most feather, 0°62 less; bill to front, 0°3; to gape, 0°5 ; tarsi, 0°75 of an inch.—WMoore, P. Z. S., 1854, 141. a 631 6.—Zosterops. simplex, Swink. Mr. Blanford thought he obtained this species (?) in Sikhim, and so no doubt he did, since having some of Swinhoe’s types before me, I cannot separate them from our Indian palpebrosa, which varies a little according to sex, age and season in size and in the tinge of the upper surface, throat and breast. Here however is Swinhoe’s own definition, P.Z.S., 1863, 203 :— “ Similis Z. palpebrose ea India, sed major; supra magis viridis ; alis caudaque saturatioribus. . ¥ 404 BIRDS OCCURRING IN INDIA NOT DESCRIBED ‘¢ Tt has its nearest ally in Z. palpebrosa of India, being, like it, light grey on the underparts. An occasional specimen or two, however, may be picked out of my Amoy series with a tinge of chestnut brown on the under parts, showing the ten- dency of the species towards the Japanese Z. japonica. Some have the belly deeper grey than others; the yellow on the throat and vent varies in intensity, as also does the green of the upper parts; but these are chiefly distinctions of sex and age.”’— Swinhoe. 631 d:s.—Zosterops ceylonensis, Holdsw. Upper surface dark olive-green, deeper on the head and paler on the upper tail-coverts; a circle of small white feathers round the eye; lores and below the eye dusky, but not very conspicuous ; chin, throat, and centre of breast greenish yellow, shading at the sides of the neck and breast into the colour of the back, and giving the appearance of an incom- plete pectoral band ; the rest of the underparts bluish white, darkest on the flanks, and sometimes tinged in the centre with yellow ; under tail-coverts yellow ; quills and tail dusky brown, both margined externally with olive green, and the latter faintly marked with transverse striz. Sexes alike. Length, 4°75 inches ; wing, 2°4; tail, 1:8; bill at front, Soe DbALSUS, iil Bill dark leaden above, paler below; irides light brown ; feet lavender.— Holdsworth, P. Z. §. 1872, 459. 634 bis.—Aigithaliscus leucogenys, Moore. Colour above grey, tinged with pinkish on the rump ; before the eye and a broad streak over it black, passing to mixed black and grey on the nape; the centre of the head dusky reddish isabelline ; base of lower mandible, below the eyes, ear-coverts and sides of the neck white; chin and throat jet black ; abdomen pale pinkish-isabelline; wings dusky and having an isabelline tinge; the winglet and coverts of the primaries black ; the primaries and secondaries fringed exter- nally with grey ; axille white; tail dusky, tinged with isa- belline, the outer feathers graduated and obliquely tipped ex- ternally with white, the centre feathers margined with grey ; bill black ; feet yellowish brown. : IN JERDON OR STRAY FEATHERS. 405 Length, 4:5 inches; of wing, 2°12; of tail, 2°25 ; the three outer feathers graduated, the middle pair, 0°2 shorter than the next ; bill to frontal plumes, 0°2; to gape, 0°42; tarsi, 0°58 of an inch. Hab.—Afghanistan (?) In the museum of the Hast India Company. “ Found in pairs, in the woods above Balu Chughur, at 4,000 feet elevation. Irides straw colour.”—Griffith, MSS. Notes.—Moore, P. Z. 8., 1854, 139. 644 dis,—Parus griffithii, Bly. This species is founded on a drawing of a bird obtained by the late Dr. Griffith, between Assam and Ava. With a near affinity in colouring to P. zanthogenys and P. aplonotus,* it is at once distinguished by being crestless, and by the details of its markings. Length of wing about 2°75 inches, and of tail 2°25 inches. Colour black, with the lores and sides of neck, the rump, underparts, an occipital spot, and triangular terminal drops on the dorsal feathers yellow; throat and foreneck black ; tail considerably forked, and tipped with white ; also the greater wing-coverts and the tertiaries, with the base and edge of the primaries.— Blyth, J. A. S. B., 1847, 4405. 655 d’s.—Accentor montanellus, Paid. I am inclined to believe that there may possibly be more than one Hedge Sparrow of this type confounded under this name. * Aplonotus, really equals and has precedence of jerdoni, and though, strange to say, Blyth himself later identified aplonotus with ranthogenys and re-named the former, yet a perusal of the original description, J. A.S. B., XVI, 444, 1847, wherein the bird is said to inhabit the mountains of Central India, leaves no doubt that this re- naming was some oversight. Blyth’s mistake, I fancy, arose thus :—First he got hold of the Central Indian species, which he called xanthogenys ; then he got the Hastern Himalayan form, and he thought that this must be the true wanthogenys, and then he named the Central Indian bird ap/onotus. Later he got Western Himalayan birds, and found they were the true xanthogenys, and named the Eastern Himalayan form spilonotus. He did not at the time recognize the difference between the Western Himalayan and Central and Southern Indian forms, and so he reduced his aplonotus toa synonym of wanthogenys. Later again he saw that the Central Indian species was different, and forgetting apparently that it was toa specimen of this form and not of the Western Himalayan race that he had already given the name aplonotus, he re-named it jerdoni. he former name of course stands ; references as follows :— 648.—MAcHLOLOPHUS APLONOTUS, Blyth. : J. A.S. B., XVI, 444, 1847.—S. F., VIT, 405, xanthogenys, Jerd Madr. Journ. XI, 7, Jany. 1840, et Blyth, J. A. S. B., XI, 59, 1842; nec Vig, jerdoni, Blyth, J. A. S. B., XXV, 445, 1856.— 8. F., I1I, 492,—Gould B. of As. Pt, IX, pl. 16. 52 406 BIRDS OCCURRING IN INDIA NOT DESCRIBED The form that just straggles inside our boundary in Sikhim and Nepal is probably fulvescens of Severtsov (vide 8. F., III, 428), and may prove separable from Pallas’ bird, but the matter has not been worked out yet, and it will for the present suffice to quote the latest description of this latter available :— “ Adult Male.—(Kultuk, 14th April). Centre of the crown greyish brown ; sides of the crown, lores and sides of the head, including the auriculars, black; a broad yellowish buff band from the base of the bill over the eye and passing round the auriculars to the neck, joining the same colour on the throat and enclosing the auriculars and patch on the side of the head ; back chestnut-red, all the feathers broadly margined with greyish brown; quills dark brown, with light-brown margins to the feathers ; the inner secondaries and wing-coverts slightly mark- ed with dull chestnut; rump and upper tail-coverts greyish brown or ashy brown ; tail dark brown, the feathers with slight- ly lighter margins ; throat and breast warm ochreous buff, gra- dually fading on the abdomen to pale buff; flanks slightly striped with brown; under tail-coverts with the centres of the feathers dull sooty brown ; bill blackish; legs light brown ; iris brown, witha yellowish tinge. Total length about 6 inches; culmen, 0°5 ; wing, 2°85; tail, 2°6; tarsus, 0°75. « Adult Female.—(Kultuk, 20th April). Resembles the male, but is much duller in colour, the dark portions of the head brownish black, not black, and the under parts are buffy white instead of rich ochreous buff. “ Male in winter.—(Pekin, December). Differs from the male in spring in having the black on the crown duller, sullied and edged with brown, and the abdomen is whiter.’’—Dresser, “ Birds of Europe.” 659 dis.—Corvus cornix, Lin. Adult Female.—Above drab grey, with indistinct dusky shaft-stripes, the hind neck more decidedly grey; wings and tail entirely purplish black, slightly glossed with steel green under certain lights; upper tail-coverts purplish brown, with lighter grey edges; head all round, foreneck, and centre of the chest. glossy blue-black, the feathers lanceolate in shape; sides of the neck drab grey, exactly like the remainder of the under surface; thighs dusky black; wing-coverts blue-black, the axillaries grey; bill and legs black; iris very dark brown. Total length 17 inches; culmen, 2°4; wing, 12°5; tail, 78; tarsus, 2°2. IN JERDON OR STRAY FEATHERS. 407 Adult Male—Similar to the female. Total length, 18 in- ches; culmen, 2°35; wing, 12:2; tail, 7°5; tarsus, 2°25. Young—Similar to the adult, but the colour rather more dingy, and the drab somewhat shaded with a purplish lustre ; hind neck decidedly more dusky than in the adult; upper tail- coverts dull blackish, without any perceptible grey margin ; head also dull black, without lustre; the lanceolate plumes on the foreneck not developed.—Sharpe’s Catalogue, III. 668 bis.—Pica rustica, Scop. I am myself disposed to agree in uniting the Afghan, Cash- mere and Ladak Magpies, separated by Bonaparte as bactriana, with the European rustica. The descriptions however, which I subjoin, were taken from Ladak specimens. Males.— Length, 19°75 to 21 ; tail from vent, 12 to 13:25 ; expanse, 24°75 to 25°5; wing, 83 to 875; foot, greatest length, 2:5; greatest width, 1:75 ; tarsus, 1:9; bill at front, straight from forehead to point, 1:4 ; wings when closed fall short of end of tail, by from 7°5 to 8°75. Bill, legs, and feet black ; head, neck, back, breast, upper and lower tail-coverts, winglets, and axillaries velvety black, slightly glossed with green on the back and blue on the breast ; shafts of the feathers of the throat spiny and albescent, giving a finely streaked appearance to the throat; lesser coverts, except at the carpal joint, scapulars, rump, abdomen, sides, vent, and the whole of the inner webs of the primaries (except the extreme tips and a narrow margin on the inner edge towards the tips), pure white. I may mention that in the perfect, fully developed, wing in this species the fifth quill is generally longest. In the male, the fourth is 0-1 shorter, the third is 0°45; the second, 1°6 ; and the first (which is atte- nuated and falciform) is 1°4 shorter than the fifth ; the sixth is a trifle shorter than the fourth ; in the first and second the white of the inner web extends quite to the tip ; in the third, fourth, and fifth to within from 0°23 to 0°3 of the tip ; in the sixth, seventh, and eighth to within from 0°35 to 0°45 ; and in the ninth and tenth to within 0:25. This white is only visible on the eighth and ninth quills when the wing is closed, and then only as a narrow line, and not even this in some specimens. In a fine perfect tail the longest tail-feathers exceed the others by 7,6, 5,4, and 2°5 inches, respectively. The inner webs of all the lateral tail-feathers, except towards the tips, are gloss- less black ; the outer webs of the laterals and both webs of 408 BIRDS OCCURRING IN INDIA NOT DESCRIBED the central feathers, except the terminal, 1°5 to 2 inches, are brilliant metallic green, somewhat darker, but scarcely less res- plendent than the speculum of the male Mallard (Anas bosechas). To this succeeds a cuneiform band (the apex pointing towards the rump), which beginning in golden green shades into bright purple, and then into deep blue, beyond which the rest of the tip is a bluish green with, like the rest of the tail, the richest metallic lustre. Some of the lesser coverts at the carpal joint are black, glossed with green ; the median and greater primary coverts, and the outer webs and tips of all but the first three primaries are a metallic bluish green; the outer webs of the first three primaries are dusky or black, more or less glossed with the same colour as their neighbours ; the inner webs of the secondaries and tertiaries, except quite the hindermost of the latter, are black ; the outer webs of secondaries and tertiaries, . and the inner webs of the hindermost of the latter, are metallic blue, more or less glossed with green ; all the earlier secondaries with a conspicuous stripe of golden green just inside their mar- gins for the basal two-thirds of their length. Hume, “ Lahore to Yarkand.” 673 Jis.—Cissa ornata, Wagl. Adult.—General colour deep blue, shading off into bright cobalt on the rump and upper tail-coverts; head and neck all round, as well as the chest, chestnut; the rest of the under sur- face deep blue, shading off into brilliant cobalt on the abdomen and flanks ; thighs ultramarine ; wing-coverts rich ultramarine ; the rest of the wing chestnut on the outer webs, blackish on the inner one; the innermost secondaries shaded with blue on the inner web ; the first primary black, washed with blue externally ; tail deep blue, more or less shaded with cobalt, broadly tipped with white, before which is a tolerably broad bar of black ; under wing-coverts blue, shading off into grey on the imner- most; the inner lining of the quills blackish, externally edged with chestnut, and inclining to rufous near the base of the inner web; bill red; bare skin round the eye crimson; feet coral red; iris light brown. Total length, 17 inches; culmen, 1°6 ; wing, 6:5; tail, 10°5; tarsus, 1°8. Young.—All the colours duller than in the adult; the wing- coverts greyish black, with a slight wash of blue; lower back, rump, and under surface of body grey, with only a slight tinge of blue ; bill blackish.—-Sharpe’s Catalogue, III. IN JERDON OR STRAY FEATHERS. 409 679 bis.—Podoces humilis, Hume. Dimensions :— Male. Female. Male. Leneth ... es one 6s Bae 73 Tail ee lone ane an 2°4 oe ip Wine = ose. Set Of eat ae 3°55 a 3°75 Bill at front Peas EOE ete: 0°75 ee 1: Bill from gape ac yee OR: a: 0°78 aes 1:05 Tarsus. ./. exe teh Bree 13] eee 15 Deseription—The bill, legs, and feet are black ; the fore- head, lores, and an indistinct streak over the forepart of the eye fulvous white ; a dusky line through the lores to the eye ; front, top, and back of the head, back, scapulars, and rump, a dull earthy brown, very faintly rufescent on the head ; a broad yellowish white patch upon the nape; the four central tail feathers blackish brown, tipped and margined paler ; lateral tail-feathers white, tipped and margined on their exterior webs with dingy fulvous ; wings brown; the quills slightly darker brown, narrowly margined and tipped with paler brown; chin, cheeks, and ear-coverts, and entire lower parts, dingy fulvous white ; the ear-coverts slightly more tinged with fulvous or pale fulvous brown and silky. The female has more of a rufescent tinge on the back and scapulars than the male, and has the quills a darker hair brown ; the tertiaries and some of the secondaries more distinctly margined with a pale rufescent brown. In both sexes the bastard wing appears to be a dark hair brown. It will be noticed that the female is smaller in most of her dimensions, and has the bill conspicuously shorter.—Hume, « Lahore to Yarkand.” 689 quin¢t.—Sturnia senex, Tem. It is assumed that this species, briefly described as below by | Bonaparte, as from Bengal, is really the Ceylon species. Bona- parte says :— ** Back brownish ; wings and tail bronzy black, (2.¢., black with a greenish metallic lustre) ; crown grey ; below dull ashy white.” It is not common to get this species with the head entirely grey, though this is the typical plumage. Layard re-described the Ceylon bird under the name of albofrontata, thus :— “ Length about 8 inches ; of closed wing, 4°5; tail, 3; bill to end of gape, 1°17; tarsi, 1. General colour of back, tail and 410 BIRDS OCCURRING IN INDIA NOT DESCRIBED wings black, with a green gloss; forehead albescent; hinder feathers of crest brownish black, with albescent shafts. General colour of breast, throat, vent, and under tail-coverts albescent, the shafts of the feathers on the throat shining white.”— Layard. 693 ter.—Kulabes ptilogenys, Blyth. This species has no bare skin on the cheek ; but the occi- pital lappets are well developed, and the basal half of the lower mandible is black. Length of wing, 6 inches. Colouring as in the two Indian species, the smaller of which (that of the Peninsula of India) is also an inhabitant of Ceylon.—Blyth, “Cilbies?) A867: This species may be readily distinguished by the yellow lappets at the back of the head, and the absence of any naked skin about the eye and cheeks. Bill deep orange, base black ; irides brown ; lappets yellow ; feet dull yellow.—Holdsworth, P. Z. S., 1872. 700 d1s,—Munia kelaarti, Blyth. Brown above, with pale stems to the feathers, nearly obsolete op the back, and passing to blackish on the forehead; wings, rump, and tail, throat and foreneck, with the cheeks, deep brown black; the small upper tail-coverts variegated with white, and the greater are largely tipped with fulvous ; under- parts variegated; the breast brown, and belly and lower tail- coverts black, the last having white medial streaks, and the rest of the underparts white subterminal bands, and the flank feathers a second, and some of them a third, white cross band in addition; bill livid bluish, and feet dark plumbeous. Wing, 2°12 inches.— Blyth, “ Ibis,” 1867. 720 bis.—Emberiza striolata, Licht. Dimensions.—Male.—Wength, 5:75 to 5:97 ; expanse, 9°37 to 9:75; tail from vent, 2°45 to 2°75; wing from carpal joint to tip of longest primary, 2 96 to 3:1 ; and when closed reaching within 1:1 to 1:3 of the end of the tail; foot, greatest length, IN JERDON OR STRAY FEATHERS. 411 from 1 to 1:1; greatest width from ‘63 to °8; bill from front, *36 to °39; weight from °45 to °5 oz. Female.—Length, 55 to 5°9; expanse, 9 to 9:5; tail from vent, 2°2 to 2°72; wing from carpal joint to tip of longest pri- mary, 2°87 to 2°96; when closed reaching within 1°1 to 1:7 of the end of the tail; foot, greatest length, 1:1 to 1:17; greatest width, °72 to °8; bill from front, °35 to ‘38; weight from ‘38 to 0°6 oz. . “‘ Description—The legs and feet were in some pale waxy yellow, in some dingy, in some fleshy yellow or yellowish fleshy ; the feet, especially at the joints, more or less tinged with brown- ish ; the claws rather pale brown ; the bill had the upper mandi- ble brown, in some blackish brown, the lower in some waxy, in some fleshy, and in some dingy yellow; irides brown. The male has.the forehead, top of the head, and nape greyish white, grey or white in different specimens, each feather with a conspicuous linear, median, black streak ; a narrow pure white superciliary stripe starting from the base of the bill and extending behind the eye over the ear-coverts ; the lores, and a moderately broad stripe directly behind the eye (and immediately under the white stripe), involving the upper portions of the ear-coverts, black ; below this another greyish white stripe, involving the rest of the ear-coverts ; below this, starting from the base of the lower mandible, a black stripe ; below this, from the lower angle of the lower mandible, a greyish white stripe, which again is divided from the greyish white of the chin by a narrow inconspicuous dark streak. “In the fresh birds in breeding plumage, which I am des- eribing, all these streaks and stripes are as clearly and sharply defined as if painted ; but at other seasons, and in stuffed speci- mens, they are not so clear; the whole of the back, scapulars, and tertials are hair brown, the former two very broadly, the latter more narrowly, margined with pale, more or less sandy or even rufous brown ; in many specimens the darker median streaks of the back feathers are redueed to mere lines, and in some the rufous tinge on the upper back is well marked; the primaries and secondaries and their coverts are a mixture of hair brown and rich rufous (recalling in colour the wings of Mirafra erythroptera), the extent of each varying in different specimens, but the brown predominating in the earlier primaries and everywhere at the tips, and decreasing in extent in the hinder part of the wing and towards the bases of the feathers ; the second primary, for instance, will be all brown, except a narrow rufous edging for the basal two-thirds of the outer web, and a broad rufous stripe on the margin of the inner web for the same distance, while one of the later secondaries will be all 412 BIRDS OCCURRING IN INDIA NOT DESCRIBED rufous, except a narrow brown stripe running down the shaft till within one-third of the end of the feather, whence it ora- dually widens so as to occupy at the tip the whole of both webs ; the rump and upper tail-coverts are much the same as the back, but in some specimens slightly more rufous than the lower back ; and the longest of the coverts are in some specimens very narrowly tipped with very pale fulvous white; the tail is hair brown, darker than the brown portion of the quills; all the feathers externally very narrowly margined with pale rufous, except the external feather on each side, which has the whole outer web of that colour; the throat and upper breast are erey- ish white or grey, with more or less numerous and conspicuous blacix median stripes on the feathers. Specimens differ widely in this respect; in some the greyish white is a mere edging to dusky black feathers; in others only a few black spots and streaks peep out of an almost unbroken grey, and this among specimens killed at the same time and of apparently the same age; the lower breast and the whole lower parts of the body are pale greyish rufous, all the bases of the feathers (only seen if their tips are lifted) being a sort of bluish dusky; the axillaries, wing-lining, and, in fact, the whole lower surface of | ther wings, except the points of the quills, a pale delicate salmon rufous. “The female only differs in being generally somewhat smaller, in having the white, grey, and black of the head, neck, throat, and breast much duller (and in many specimens overcast with a sandy or pale rufous shade), in the various stripes being less well marked, and in having the dark spots and streaks of the throat and breast almost obsolete.’—AHume, ‘ Ibis,” 1869. 720 ter.—KEmberiza schoeniclus, Lin. Adult Male in Summer.—(Archangel, 19th May). Entire head deep black; a white collar passes round the hind neck joining the white on the breast; a broad white stripe passes down from the base of the lower mandible, enclosing the black throat; hind neck below the collar deep grey, marked with blackish; back blackish; the feathers bordered with ochreous and bay; rump and upper tail-coverts iron-grey, marked with blackish grey ; quills blackish, externally margined with ochre- ous bay ; the wing-coverts more broadly margined with richer grey ; the lesser wing-coverts almost entirely rich deep bay ; underparts white; the flanks striped with dark grey, the black on the throat descending low, and forming a pointed gorget on IN JERDON OR STRAY FEATHERS. 413 the breast; tail blackish ; the central rectrices lighter and bor- dered with dull ochreous; the two outer feathers on each side obliquely marked with white on the terminal half; bill blackish brown; iris brown; legs dull brown. Total length about 6 inches ; culmen, 0°4; height of bill at base, 0°2 ; wing, 3:3 ; tail, 2°9 ; tarsus, 0°8. Adult Female in Summer.—(Smyrna, 27th March). Rather smaller than the male; crown and ear-coverts reddish brown, varied with dark brown; a white patch below the ear-coverts and a dull white line over the eye; throat dull white; the lower and upper breast striped with reddish brown and _ black- ish ; a broad black line passes from the base of the bill down each side of the throat; flanks striped with reddish brown ; upper parts paler than in the male. Adult Male in Winter.—(Ismid, November). The black on the head is almost entirely obscured by broad reddish brown margins to the feathers, and those on the throat by dull white; the white collar is obscured by ochreous grey ; the breast and flanks are washed with creamy grey; and the feathers on the upper parts of the body have broad greyish ochreous margins, giving it a very pale appearance; bill dull horn; the lower mandible yellowish. Young in first Autumn—Resembles the female, but are paler and duller in colour, and have the throat and breast marked with dark stripes; the line over the eye is yellowish ; and the sides of the neck are dull ochreous, marked with brown.— Dresser, “* Birds of Europe.” 728 dis.—Coccothraustes vulgaris, Pall. Adult Male.—Forehead yellowish fawn colour, gradually be- coming yellowish brown on the hind crown; sides of the head pale sandy ochre, with a brownish tinge ; a narrow line round the base of the bill; lores, and a large patch covering the chin and upper throat, velvety black; hind neck ashy grey, this colour forming a collar, which extends to the sides of the neck; back and scapulars dark chestnut brown; rump fawn brown ; quills bluish black, with a large patch of white on the inner web; the inner primaries and secondaries glossed with purple ; the fifth and succeeding primaries peculiarly widened and hooked at the tip; secondaries square at the tip; innermost secon- daries brownish fawn ; primary coverts blackish ; larger coverts white, except the innermost ones, which are fawn colour; lesser coverts chestnut brown ; central rectrices greyish brown, tipped 53 414 BIRDS OCCURRING IN INDIA NOT DESCRIBED with white; the remaining tail feathers blackish, with the ter- minal half of the inner web white; underparts pale greyish brown, with a rosy fawn-coloured tinge; centre of abdomen and under tail-coverts white; bill bluish; iris greyish: feet flesh colour. Total length about 7 inches ; culmen, 0°85; wing, 3°9; tail, 2°5; tarsus, 0-9. Adult Female.—Is duller in colour than the male; the black on the throat is less extensive; the white on the wing-coverts is tinged with greyish brown, and the outer webs of all but the innermost secondaries are ashy blue grey. Young Male.—Crown, nape, and sides of the head yellowish brown ; upper parts dull yellowish chestnut brown, the grey collar being absent; wings and tail as in the adult, but the white wing-coverts are intermixed with black; lores blackish brown; throat yellow, gradually becoming pale yellowish brown on the breast ; flanks dull buffy white; rest of the under- parts dull white; lower breast and flanks distinctly spotted and barred with dark brown; bill dull flesh; iris brownish grey ; legs dirty brownish flesh. Young Female.—Resembles the young male, but may be dis- tinguished by being duller and having the outer webs of the secondaries blue grey. Oéservations.—On comparing a series of specimens from vari- ous localities, I find that those from Northern Europe are duller in colour than others from the southern countries ; and our British bird is perhaps the dullest of all, though now and then one gees a specimen nearly as richly coloured as any from the south of Europe. The Japanese Hawfinch has been considered by Temminck and Schlegel to be fairly distinguished from our HKuropean bird ; but they must have compared specimens from Japan only with exceedingly dull North-European examples ; for, on comparing those in the collection of Mr. Swinhoe, from China and Japan, with specimens from Spain and Italy, I can trace no difference either in tinge of colour or in any way whatever. In the winter dress the Hawfinch differs in having the beak dull flesh-coloured, and the colours of the plumage are duller and browner, the head has lost the bright yellowish fawn tinge and is browner, and the underparts have become greyer, the rosy fawn tinge having disappeared.—Dresser, “ Birds of Europe.” 738 bis.—Erythrospiza sanguinea, Gould. Adult Male.—Forehead and centre of the crown to the nape dull blackish, the feathers with slightly lighter margins ; IN JERDON OR STRAY FEATHERS. 415 sides of the crown, throat and hind-neck sandy buff; back, scapulars, and lesser wing-coverts umber earth-brown; the feathers with lighter edges; quills and larger wing-coverts dark brown, externally, except at the tip, broadly margined with rich rose-red, tinged with carmine; inner secondaries tip- ped with white ; upper tail-coverts rose pink ; outer rectrices white with brown shafts; remaining tail-feathers dark brown, slightly tipped and marked with white; lores and feathers on the side of the head at the base of the bill carmine red; auri- culars coloured like the sides of the neck, but marked with dark brown; throat and flanks like the back, but paler, the feathers with dark centres; centre of the breast, abdomen, under tail-coverts, and under wing-coverts white, slightly tinged with rose-colour ; bill brownish yellow ; legs light brown; iris dark brown. Total length about 5°75 inches ; culmen, 0°52; wing, 4°15; tail, 2:5; tarsus, 0°78. Adult Female.—Differs from the made in being duller in colour, the red portions of the plumage much paler, the feathers on the crown having much broader sandy buff margins, and the white on the underparts covering a rather larger area. Culmen, 0°5; wing, 3°8; tail, 2°35; tarsus, 0°75.—Dresser, “ Birds of Europe.” 744 bis.—Propasser edwardsi, Verr. Male with a general brownish tint above, richly glossed with crimson ; lores, forehead, supercilia and cheeks pale silvery pink, the bases of the feathers brown; head above dark crim- son, with blackish centres to the feathers; ear-coverts and sides of the neck duller crimson ; the centres of the feathers broader and less distinct ; back with broad dashes of dark earthy brown ; the edges of the feathers pale, with a gloss of deep rose colour, approaching crimson ; rump and upper tail-coverts nearly the same colour as the back, the dark centres of the feathers being less marked, and the paler margins with their crimson gloss broader; wing and tail-feathers earthy brown, with red brown exterior margins, and pale rosy spots on the tips of the outer webs of the wing-coverts, and of the last three quills ; chin greyish; throat full rose colour, darker than the cheeks, with a silvery gloss; the breast is deeper and darker red, the feathers having pale rosy edges and narrow dark central stripes; abdomen pink, also with narrow streaks; under tail- coverts brown, edged with pink; thighs and flanks brown, slightly tinged here and there with pink; bill dusky; legs 416 BIRDS OCCURRING IN INDIA NOT DESCRIBED brown. Wing, 3:15, 3°22; tail, 2°5, 2°6 ; tarsus, 0°92, 0:95; bill from gape, 0°52. The female is ear thy brown, the feathers of the upper parts with pale margins, and the wing-coverts and last three guills (tertiaries) with albescent tips to the outer webs; supercilia isabelline ; rump with an ochraceous tinge ; underparts fulvous, all the feathers with dark centres, “broader on the breast, narrower on the abdomen, which has a rufescent tinge. Wing, 3°05, 3:15; tail 2°45, 2°5; tarsus, 0°95; bill from forehead, 0°47, 0:49. Another bird, apparently a young male, is much more ochraceous than the female in colouring, especially on the under- parts, sides of head and neck; the margins of the quills and tail feathers are olivaceous. Another pair confirms the ne description, except that the throat of the male is the same colour as the cheeks, instead of being rather deeper red.— Blanford, J. A. 8. B., 1871. 750 dis.—Chrysomitris tibetana, Hume. Although I have now received numbers of this species, I have none at hand here to describe, and so must fain reproduce the original description, which is of the female only. :— Dimensions.— Length, 4”°75 ; wing, 2”°70 ; tail, 1”-9; tarsus, 0”:4;; bill at front, 07-35. _ Description (only female obtained.)—Legs and feet brown ; bill brown, fleshy on lower mandible. Péumage: Head, neck, back, and scapulars dingy olive-green, each feather with a dark brown central stripe, a long supercilium, continued backwards round the ear-coverts, and an ill-defined patch on the nape green~ ish yellow; ear-coverts brownish olive; lower parts pale yellow, aibescent on the middle of the abdomen and towards the vent; the sides and flanks with dusky central streaks ; lower tail-coverts pale yellow, each feather with a linear lan- eceolate blackish brown central streak ; rump and upper tail- coverts greenish yellow, with traces of central dusky streaks ; quills and tail blackish brown, edged exteriorly with greenish yellow; the primaries very narrowly margined at the tips, and. the tail-feathers on the inner webs with greyish white. This is a true Siskin, agreeing perfectly in shape of bill with the European C. spinus.—-Hume, “‘ Ibis,” 1872, 107. IN JERDON OR STRAY FEATHERS. 417 751 bis.—Linaria brevirostris, Gould. I reproduce Moore’s original description and measurements. (P. Z. 8., 1855, p. 217) :— “ Allied to Z. montium, but distinguished from that species by its lighter colour, and the male having the pink colour on the rump paler; the axillaries and the basal edge of the inner webs of the primaries and secondaries pure white; the primaries and secondaries above are also broadly margined ex- teriorly with white ; the female is also paler, and broadly edged, as in the male with white. “ Length, 5 inches; of the wing, 3°87; of tail, 2°62; central feathers, 0°5 less; bill to frontal plumes, 0°3; to gape, 0:5; tarsus, 0°6 ; centre toe and claw, 0°62.” This description agrees well enough with the Ladak, Sikhim, and Yarkand birds, but the dimensions seems in one respect scarcely reconcilable. None of the birds before me were measured in the flesh, but the wing, in which the greatest differ- ence exists, as compared with Moore’s dimensions, cannot have much changed in drying, besides which Moore’s measurements must, like ours, have been taken from the dry skin. All the five birds before me are much about the same size. Dimensions.—Length, (allowing for the contraction of the skins and carbolized specimens), 4°8 to 5 inches ;. wing, 3-1 to 3°2; tail, 2°4 to 2°5; centre feathers, 0°3 shorter ; bill to frontal plumes, 0°29 to 0°35; to gape, 0-4 to 0°45; tarsus, 0°58 to 0-61 ; hind toe and claw, 0°5 to 0°58. The first four primaries seem to be almost the same length ; in some the second, and in some the third are the longest, and in all the first is about 0°05 shorter than the longest. Description.—The legs and feet are brown; the nails long and slender; the bill (apparently) fleshy yellow, brown at the tip. Phunare General Jung Bahadoor, Prime Minister of Nepal, T am indebted for the gift of a fine sample of what appears to me decidedly a new species, and probably also a new type of the Partridge group of birds. The General, in his recent military expedition into Tibet, procured the bird alive, but it died at Kathmandu, and he sent me the spoils in very fine con- dition. IN JERDON OR STRAY FEATHERS. 433 “Perdicine. — Genus SAcFA MIHI. Sakpha of the Tibetans. S. hodgsonie, mzhi. ‘The essential characters of the genus or sub-genus are as follows :—Bill strong, with a heavy overlying upper mandible, scarped along the cutting edges. Nares subvertical and opening towards the head; wings and tail longer, and less bowed and gradated, and stronger than in Perdixz ; but not so long or acuminate as in Lerwa, and about equal to Francolinus. « Wings with 3, 4, 5, quills longest and nearly equal, 1, 2 not much gradated, Ist only $ inch less than the longest. “ Tail 16, rounded, firm. “ Tarsi moderate, equal to the longest toe and nail ; nude, biscaled in front, no spur? . “ Tateral toes sub-equal and furnished with the usual basal membrane ; nails blunt, scooped inferiorly and having a salient margin all round. “ Orbits subnude, as in Arboricola. “This fine species is denominated Sakphaby the Thibetans. It was obtained in the western part of the province of Tsang, I know nothing of its habits. My sample is a female, and therefore the peculiar character of the bill, in this sex very marked, must be more so in the males, and resembles, in fact, that organ in Lophophorus, or the monal. For the same reason, that is, my sample being a female, I am doubt- ful as to the presence or absence of the spur on the legs, but it is probably absent or but slightly developed. * The other members have been sufficiently described in the generic character. ** The colours are as follows :-— “‘ Bill and legs horn green; orbital skin reddish; above transversely marked with black, rufous and chestnut in fre- quent bars, the black being more developed on the wings, and the chestnut on the flanks, where indeed the black nearly dis- appears, while on the belly it is so much developed as to constitute the main and almost only colour; neck, above and laterally, and all the lateral tail-feathers, full unmarked chestnut ; cheeks, throat and breast, luteous or albescent buff. A black zone round the throat from the cap, and a black patch below the eye. «The size is as follows :— “Tip of bill to tip of tail, 13:0; expanse of wings, 18-0; a closed wing, 6°12; bill to gape, 0°87; bill to brow, 0:75; ll 4:0; tarsi, 1:75; central toe and nail, 15; weight, 1ib. 434 BIRDS OCCURRING IN INDIA NOT DESCRIBED “Tn conclusion I may remark that the bird has much of the character of Caccabis, whilst in colours it resembles greatly the Grey Partridge of India.” —Hodgson, J. A. 8. B., 1856, 165. 827 bis.—Ophrysia superciliosa, Gray. Male.—Lores, chin, throat, and sides of the face and ear- coverts deep black ; forehead, a broad stripe above and behind the eye silvery grey, each feather on the forehead with a still lighter shaft, above the light stripe a second one of black ; the centre of the hinder part of the head and nape light greyish brown ; upper surface, tail and under surface olive, tinged with erey on the breast and abdomen ; all the feathers of both sur- faces margined on each side with a line of black ; under tail- coverts black, every feather with a small tooth-like mark of white on each side near the base, a similar but larger mark about two-thirds from the base, and two coalescing oval spots of white at the tips ; bill reddish ; tarsi brown. ‘Total length, 9 inches ; bill, 0°62 ; wing, 3°5 ; tail, 2°75 ; tarsi, 1°33. Female.—General tint cinnamon brown, with a rufous edging to each feather ; those of the upper surface with light-coloured shafts and triangular mark of dull black on the inner web near the tip, preceded by a small mark of the same hue as the shafts ; on the under surface the dark mark occupies the centre of the tip of each feather, and is of a lanceolate form ; the throat is pale greyish cinnamon, as is also the head, where there is an indication of the superciliary stripe seen in the male ; the fea- thers of the crown and behind the eye being somewhat greyer than the others, and having polished shafts; on each side of the nape a dark stripe as in the male ; tail irregularly barred with black ; under tail-coverts dark cinnamon, with a stripe of black in the centre, between which and the margin is a stripe on each side, which unites with a large patch of the same hue near the tip.—Gould, “ B. of Asia.” 836 bis.—Otis tarda, Lin. Male.—The bill is pale yellowish brown, darker on the ridge ; the iris hazel; the feet light brown, as are the claws; the head and upper neck all round are light greyish-blue; on the upper part of the head is a longitudinal brown band; the IN JERDON OR STRAY FEATHERS. 435 elongated moustachial feathers white ; the lower part of the neck anteriorly is pale yellowish red ; the forepart of the breast pale greyish blue, fading into white, of which colour are the other lower parts, excepting the sides of the lower neck and body, which are light yellowish red, barred with black, each feather having two subterminal unequal bars, and generally several spots ; the tail feathers are similar, but tipped with white, and having the base of that colour ; the outer wing- coverts, secondary coverts, and inner secondary quills are white, the former tinged with grey; the primary quills brown- ish black, with the shafts white. Length to end of tail from 40 to 48 inches. Female.—The female is much inferior in size to the male, generally weighing only ten or twelve pounds; there are no elongated feathers on the sides of the head; the bare parts are coloured as inthe male; the upper part of the head is yellowish red, barred with black; the foreneck greyish blue, without any red at its lower part; the colouring of the other parts as in the male ; but the black markings on the back and tail more numerous. Leneth to end of tail about 35 inches.— Macgillivray, Wali dV., dl. 836 ¢er.—Otis tetrax, Lin. Male, in Summer,—The bill is brown, greyish blue at the base, with the ridge and tips dusky ; the irides reddish yellow; feet light brownish grey ; scutella of toes darker ; claws dusky ; the upper part of the head and the nape are pale reddish yellow, thickly variegated with longitudinal and transverse brownish black markings ; the sides of the head and the throat to the length of two inches greyish blue, with an inferior black margin, succeeded by a narrow ring of white, that colour extend- ing more than an inch downwards in front, in a pointed form. The middle of the neck, all round, for the length of two inches and a half is deep black, that colour being succeeded below by a half collar of white and another of black; all the lower parts are white, excepting some feathers on the fore and lateral parts of the breast, which are similar to those of the back. The upper parts, including the back, scapulars, many of the small wing-coverts, with the inner secondaries and their coverts, may be described as light reddish yellow, beautifully undulated trans- versely with brownish black ; the upper tail-coverts with white in place of yellow ; on the wing is a broad band of white, com- 436 BIRDS OCCURRING IN INDIA NOT DESCRIBED mencing at the carpal joint, including the alula, eight of the outer secondary quills and their coverts; the primary quill- and their coverts are white at the base, chocolate brown mixes with grey towards the end, with the tip white; that colour bed coming gradually more extended on the inner primaries, of which the tenth has only a narrow band of brown near the end; the tail-feathers are also white at the base and tip, in the rest of their extent pale yellow, undulated with black, and having three distinct transverse bands of the latter colour, the lateral feathers eradually becoming more white, and losing one of the black bands. Length to end of tail, 18 inches; bill along the ridge, i ; alone the edge of lower mandible, 1°33; wing from flexure, 10 ; tail, 4-25 ; bare part of tibia, 1 ; tarsus, 2°66. Female.—The female, which is about the same size, differs in having none of the blue or black so conspicuous on the neck of the male ; the upper part of the head, its sides, and the neck all round, are pale reddish yellow, variegated with dark brown, each feather having a broad median longitudinal band and several transverse bars; the throat 1s yellowish white; the upper parts are variegated as in the male, but with the markings larger, and many of the feathers having a large black patch in the middle, towards the end ; the wings and tail as in the male, but with the white less extended and barred with black; the lower parts are yellowish white, the feathers of the breast and sides with transverse black lines ; the lower tail-coverts with the shafts black, and some bars of the same colour. Male in Winter.—At the end of autumn the black, white, and grey feathers on the head and neck are changed for others, variegated with yellow and black, so that in winter the male resembles the female, but with the markings finer.— Macgillivray, Vol. IV., 36. 845 bis.—Charadrius pluvialis, Zin. This species is closely allied to our Indian Golden Plover, and to the Grey Plover, Squwatarola helvetica. All three go through much the same seasonal changes of plumage, but the Grey Plover has always Odlack axillaries; pluvialis has always white axillaries, and our Indian fulvus has always smoke grey axillaries. Besides this, the Grey Plover has a much larger bill, and has a eae hind toe and claw, which is wanting in both the others. IN JERDON OR STRAY FEATHERS. 437 Although with this explanation it may be hardly necessary, I yet quote full descriptions of the present species taken from Dresser :— “ Adult Malein Summer plumage.—Upper surface of the body black, spotted all over with golden and white, but the latter in a less degree ; the nape rather paler and less varied with black; wing-coverts dusky brown, sparingly spotted with golden and white; the greater coverts more conspicuously notched with white; the primary coverts dusky brown with white tips; quills dusky brown ; the shafts white in the middle, with a patch of white also visible at the outer base of the lesser primaries ; the secondaries black, marked with oblique golden bars; upper tail-coverts black, irregularly barred across with golden ; tail blackish, with transverse markings of whitish, and a slight tinge of golden here and there; sides of the face, throat, breast (narrowing on the upper part), and belly black; forehead, a spot below the eye, eyebrow, extending down the sides of the neck and bordering the biack chest right down to its extremity, white ; the sides of the upper part of the breast black, varied with golden ; flanks slightly mottled with dusky ; centre of the under tail-coverts black, the sides white; under wing-coverts white, marked with dusky brown on the edge of the wing; axillary plumes pure white; bill black; feet bluish grey; iris dark brown, Total length, 7:8 inches; culmen, 1:0 ; wing, 7:1; tail, 3°4; tarsus, 1°6. * Adult Female.—Similar to the male, but has the black breast somewhat tinged with brown. “¢ Male in Winter plumage.— Upper surface of the body black, mottled with golden, exactly as in summer; forehead buffy white ; eyebrow whitish, distinctly washed with golden, and minutely spotted with dusky brown; cheeks whitish, washed with golden, and more plainly spotted with dusky brown; feathers round the eye white; throat and lower breast and abdomen pure white; chest and sides of the body mottled with greyish brown, and distinctly washed with golden; under tail- coverts white in the centre, the outermost mottled with dusky brown and washed with golden; under wing-coverts white, thinly marked with greyish brown; axillary plumes pure white. “ Observations.—Specimens vary very much in the amount of golden colour which they have in the winter plumage, some of them being very much brighter than others; and the amount of dusky brown on the breast is also a character which varies a great deal.” 56 438 BIRDS OCCURRING IN INDIA NOT DESCRIBED 845 quat.—Aagialitis asiatica, Pall. Though this is very similar to 4. vereda, it is always smaller and has a smaller slenderer bill than this latter; moreover in astatica the axillaries are white, while in vereda they are dark smoke grey. It is easily distinguishable from 4. mongola, by its longer tarsus. I quote the following :— _ “ Description.— Adult in Summer.—Bill black, moderately long, slender ; crown, nape, the whole of the back and wings above hair brown ; forehead, eyebrows, eyelids, sides of the face and throat pure white ; across the breast a broad rufous band, the lowest feathers of which, in some specimens, are terminated by dark umber brown ; thence to the extremities of the under tail-coverts, pure white ; primaries brownish black ; the shafts of all mesially white ; secondaries long, extending nearly to the end of the primaries; axillaries white; tail moderately long ; the outer feathers on each side smoke grey ; the others darker in colour as they approach the middle (in immature birds each margined at the extremity with white) ; legs long and slender ; a considerable portion of the tibia bare ; toes three placed anteriorly ; the middle and outer toe of each foot connected at their base by a slight membrane; legs and toes greenish ochreous (? ochreous yellow) ; the sexes similar. “ Adult in Winter.—Crown, nape, whole of the back, and wings above as in summer, but somewhat paler in colour; no rufous pectoral band, but in lieu thereof a patch of dusky-grey on each side of the breast. The rest of the underparts pure white ; legs and toes paler thanin summer. “ Young.—Crown, nape, whole of back, and wings above hair- brown, each feather margined with buff; the parts which in the adult are white, tinged with buff ; the pectoral band pre- sents a mottled appearance, each feather being light brown, margined with light buff; primaries and axillaries as in the adult ; secondaries edged with buff; legs and toes pale horn colour. , “ Dimensions.—Total leneth, 7:5 inches ; bill, °8; wing, 5:5; bare part of tibia, :7; tarsus, 1°5 ; middle toe, °8.’’—-Hariing, & This,” 1870, 2038. 850 d1s,—Aigialitis nigrifrons, Cuv. in Tem. Blyth says, Jbis, 1867, 165 :— : “ A. nigrifrons is omitted by Dr. Jerdon, though he obtained a single specimen near Madras in the month of June, (2.e., dur- IN JERDON OR STRAY FEATHERS. 439 ing the southern winter) which is now in the Caleutta Museum. Of course it is an exceedingly rare and accidental straggler.”’ Gould thus describes the species :— “The sexes are precisely alike in the colouring of their plumage, and nearly so in size. “‘ Forehead, a stripe commencing at the eye, passing over the ear-coverts and round the back of the neck, and a broad band crossing the chest and advancing somewhat down the centre of the breast black ; a stripe of white passes over each eye and continues round the back of the neck, separating the black band from the crown, which, with the back, the long tertials, and the middle of the wing, are brown ; scapularies deep chestnut; tips of the greater coverts white, forming an obscure band across the wing ; primaries black ; throat, abdo- men, and under tail-coverts white ; two middle tail feathers brown at the base and black at the tip ; the next three on each side white at the base, gradually passing into blackish brown, and largely tipped with white, the remainder entirely white ; bill rich orange at the base and black at the tip; feet orange flesh colour in some, in others pale flesh colour ; irides dark brown ; eyelash bright red. “The young have a crescentic mark of a lighter colour on the feathers of the upper surface, and have the colouring of the plumage and soft parts less brilliant and well defined than the adults.”— Gould, “ Bird of Australia.” And this is Jerdon’s description of his specimen :— “ 363.—C. russatus.—New species ? “ Description.—Forehead, streak on either side, extending through the eyes, ears, and meeting behind, and a broad pectoral band deep brownish black ; top of the head, back and wing- coverts of the usual brown cinereous hue of the Riaged Plovers ; band above the eyes, encircling the head, except in front, and plumage beneath white ; wing-coverts edged with white ; quills and medial tail feathers dark brown ; external tail-feathers white, with a broad band which almost disappears on the outer- most feather; scapulars deep maroon colour; upper tail- coverts tinged with rufous ; bill yellow with black tip ; orbits brigkt yellow ; legs orange yellow. Length, 6°5 inches; wing, 4°5; tail, 2°2; bill at front nearly 0°6 ; tarsus rather more than 1 inch. ‘“‘[ procured a single specimen of this apparently new species of Ringed Plover at the edge of the Pulicat Lake near Madras, in the month of June. Its distinguishing feature is the maroon colour of the scapulars. Whether this is a permanent mark, or, as I conjecture may be the case, only assumed during the breeding season, I am at present unable to determine.” 440 BIRDS OCCURRING IN INDIA NOT DESCRIBED 910 ter.—Porzana cinerea, Vievil. “ Rallus, supra fuscus gilvo mixtus, subtus pallidior gula albida, capite supra nigricante, utringue strigis duabus albis.— Longitudo 8°5 poll.””—Horsfield. “ Above, light brown; beneath white; crown and neck cinere- ous ; lores black ; before the eye, and beneath the ear, are two white stripes. “Tnhabits India. Mus. nost, “Size small. Total length, 7:5 inches ; bill, base, 0-6 ; gape, 0:7; wing, 0°2*; tarsus, | ; middle-toe and claw, 1:6; hiad ditto, 0°15. 10; Ho tele re 0'8 Nigra “ 9; | te Ole + 0:7 The coloring of the soft parts, however, which seems to hold good more or less even in young birds, affords one means of discriminating fresh specimens :— Bill, Legs and feet. Hybrida blood red red. Leueoptera blackish, with a reddish tinge red. Nigra black dark reddish brown. 57 446 BIRDS OCCURRING IN INDIA NOT DESCRIBED I add full descriptions of the present species taken from Dresser. Adult Male in Spring.—Head, neck, back, scapulars, and in- nermost secondaries, and entire underparts, excepting the under tail-coverts, deep black; primary quills blackish grey, fading to greyish white on the outer portion of the inner webs, except on the terminal portion ; shafts of the feathers white ; secondaries light French grey, rather darker on the inner web and the terminal portion; Jesser wing-coverts and edge of the wing white, larger coverts French grey ; tail, upper, and under tail- coverts pure white; under wing-coverts black and blackish grey ; the edge of the wing mottled with white; beak reddish black; iris dark brown; legs and feet vermilion red, with a coral tinge. Total length about 9°5 inches; wing, 8°2 ; tail, 3:0; tarsus, 0°8 ; middle toe with claw, 0:9. Adult Female. (May).—Resembles the male, but is, if anything, a trifle less deeply coloured. Winter plumage.—Differs from H. nigra in the same stage of plumage merely in the rump and upper tail-coverts, much lighter, indeed almost white, and may be distinguished also by its longer tarsus and foot, as well as by its stouter bill. Young.—Posterior portion of the crown, a patch on the side of the head, and one on the hind neck dark sooty grey, the feathers with lighter margins, the patch on the hind neck with brownish markings; rest of the head, neck, and entire underparts pure white; back and scapulars blue grey, broadly tipped with blackish grey; wings as in the adult in winter, but the wing-coverts tipped with light reddish brown; rump and upper tail-coverts white ; tail light French grey, becoming darker towards the tip. 984 ¢er.—Hydrochelidon nigra, Lin. Adult Male in Summer.—Crown, nape, and hind neck glossy black ; entire upper parts dark blue grey, with a leaden tinge ; the quills darker, nearly blackish on the inner web and in the first quill on the outer web also; tail short, moderately forked, coloured like the black ; throat, sides of the head and under- parts generally, to the vent, sooty black, with a leaden tinge ; under tail-coverts pure white; under wing-coverts white, with a faint greyish tinge; beak purplish black; iris dark brown ; legs blackish brown, with a purplish tinge. Total length about 9 inches; culmen, 1:3; wing, 8°0; tail, 3:25; tarsus, 0°60. IN JERDON OR STRAY FEATHERS. 447 Adult Female.—-Undistinguishable from the male in plu- mace. Young.—Forehead dull white; a patch in front of the eye, crown and nape black; hind neck white; upper parts dull ashy, with a brownish tinge, the feathers being washed with dull light brown towards the tips; forepart of the back nearly black ; wings and tail as in the adult, but rather duller; under- parts white ; the sides of the breast marked with dull blackish. Adult in Winter.—Resembles the bird last described, but has the upper parts clearer grey and not marked with brown, and the dark markings on the sides of the breast are wanting.—Dresser, “ Birds of Europe.” 990 ter.—Gygis alba, Sparrm. There is a specimen of this species in the Leyden Museum, which was obtained by Dussumier, in the Bay of Bengal, and I myself have twice seen what I believe to have been this species. The bird is recognizable at once by its snow-white plumage, with only the shafts of the quills blackish, its rather large black bill, conical, pointed, large at the base, slightly bent upwards, the angle of the gonys large and projecting. Feet orange, feeble; tarsi short; the interdigital membranes deeply incised ; tail graduated, approaching in shape that of Anous. Wing, 9°75 to 10°25; bill at front, 1°6 to 1°75; tarsus, 0°5. 1000 dis.—Fregata minor, Gm. “ This is less than the last, (Fregata aquila), and measures only two feet nine inches in length; extent from wing to wing, five feet and a half. The bill five inches long, and red; the base of it, and bare space round the eye, of the same colour ; the nostrils are sufficiently apparent, and appear near the base ; shape of the bill as in the larger one; the head, hind part of the neck, and upper parts of the body and wings are ferru- ginous brown; the throat, forepart of the neck, and breast, white ; tail greatly forked, as in the other; legs of a dirty yellow. “In my collection there is a bird very similar to this, if not the same; general colour of the plumage a full black; breast 448 BIRDS OCCURRING IN INDIA NOT DESCRIBED and. belly mottled with ash colour; the inner ridge of the wing the same; the bill has the long furrow, as is seen in the greater one, but the nostrils are sufficiently apparent, being about half an inch in length, rather broader at that part which is near the base. This has a large red pouch at the chin and throat, as in the former species. It is most likely that mine is the male bird, as others, suspected to be of the opposite sex, have little or no traces of the jugular pouch.’—Lath., Gen. Syn. “‘ The male has the entire plumage brownish black ; the feathers of the head glossed with green, and the lengthened plumes of the back with purple and green reflexions ; orbits and gular pouch deep red; bill bluish horn colour ; irides black ; feet dark reddish brown. “The female is similar to the male, but browner ; is destitute of the coloured plumes on the back; has some of the wing- coverts and tertiaries edged with light brown, forming a mark along the wing ; a collar at the back of the neck; the breast and upper part of the flanks white, washed with rufous.’”’— Gould, “ Birds of Australia.” 1004 dis.—Pelecanus crispus, Bruch. Turning now to the other sub-group in which the feathers of the forehead terminate not in a point but in a line concave to the base of the culmen, we have first Pelecanus crispus, the large size and generally silvery hue of which ought to prevent its being mistaken for any other species. Some ten years ago I first pointed ont that this species occurred in India, and though this was somewhat doubted at the time, it was subsequently accepted. This species is not included by Dr. Jerdon in his “ Birds of India,’ and full dimensions and description will be useful to Indian Ornithologists. Asin other species of the genus the male considerably exceeds the female in size. Male.—Length, 70 to 74°5 ; expanse, 114 to 122; tail from vent, 9°5 to 10; wing, 26:25 to 29:28; bill at front including . nail, 15:4 to J6°6; weight, 20 to 27|bs. . _ Female.—Length, 66 to 68; expanse, 110 to 115; wing, 25 to 28; tail from vent, 75 to 9; bill at front, including nail, 13:4 to 15°0; weight, 18 to 24lbs. The sexes are apparently perfectly similar. In the adults the irides are white; in the young pale yellow, and possibly in a younger stage brownish yellow; the legs and feet are a IN JERDON OR STRAY FEATHERS. 449 pure pale plumbeous. In the young birds, with the front and interior surface of tarsi, and tibise somewhat mottled with creamy, perhaps in the very young bird mostly of this color ; the bill is in the adult dusky plumbeous; edges of upper and lower mandibles for the terminal two-thirds yellowish, and in the young a horny whity brown or yellowish grey or yellow- ish horny; the nail orange, or pale orange yellow; in the spring or breeding plumage the pouch is a deep orange red, with a black patch on either side just at the base of the lower mandible; in the non-breeding plumage the pouch is a light dirty primrose, or in some pale fleshy, tinged with lemon; in the young bird both the lower mandible and the pouch are a uniform creamy white; the cheeks and orbits in the adults in spring plumage a bright pale yellow; in the winter yellowish white ; in the young bird a sort of livid-creamy white. In the adult in spring plumage, excepting the quills, primary coverts and winglet, the whole plumage is white, with more or less of a pearly grey tinge on both the upper and under surfaces, according to the light in which it is looked at; there is a broad band at the base of the neck in front, and at the sides, faintly tinged with very pale straw color ; there is not the faintest tinge of rosy anywhere. The whole of the feathers of the head and neck are very narrow, long, soft and silky, much curled and twisted on the head, especially behind and just above the eye; and the feathers of the back of the head are much elongated, so as to form a dense full crest some 4:25 inches long. A line of feathers about 1:5 inches wide down the whole back of the neck is of a more snowy, and less pearly white than the rest of the neck ; the scapulars, rump, and upper tail-coverts and median and great- er wing-coverts are conspicuously black shafted ; and all these, except the longest of the scapulars, are very long and lanceo- late. A few of the longest scapulars are broad and round, or mucronate at the end; (and two or three of these have in some specimens a good deal of greyish brown about them, probably the remains of immature or non-breeding plumage) ; there is a beautiful satiny gloss over the whole back, scapulars, and tail; the two exterior tail-feathers with nearly the whole shafts black, and generally with a decided grey tinge on the outer webs to near the tip; the rest of the tail feathers with only the terminal third of the shafts, black; the primaries (all of which are white at the base) and their coverts, and winglet very dark brown, almost black; the second to the fifth primary emarginate on the outer web, and silvered with grey on the last above the emargination, which in the second is hidden by the coverts. There is more or less silvering of 450 BIRDS OCCURRING IN INDIA NOT DESCRIBED grey on the outer webs of all the other primaries, their coverts and winglets; the first five primaries are faintly notched on the inner web, and were pale or greyish white on the latter above the notches, while the rest of the primaries have the inner portions of the inner webs white; this is still more conspicu- ous in the secondaries, most of which have their whole outer webs a silver grey ‘probably those which still retain the brown are the remains of the less mature plumage); the tertials are pure white (while some are pearly grey on the outer webs, and on the inner greyish brown paling to grey or white towards the margin); the feathers of the base of the neck and breast are very thickly set, very narrow and pointed; the filaments along the margin a good deal separated. The young bird in the stage in which we usually obtain them, altogether wants the linear lanceolate feathers. Ii has the whole head, neck, and lower surface of the body, and under surface of the wings (except the tips of the quills, and a row of small coverts near the margin of the wing, which are pale wood brown); the middle of the back between the shoulders, the whole middle and lower back, rump, and upper tail-coverts white, more or less shaded with grey about the back of the neck, owing to the dark bases of the feathers shewing more or less, but elsewhere very pure; the feathers of the head and neck are far shorter, and more fur-like than in the adult. There is scarcely any twisting and curling about the ear- coverts; and the crest is very small in volume, and not above two inches in length; the whole of the scapulars and shoulder feathers are broadly tipped with pale brown, which, owing to their overlapping each other, is the chief color visible; and thougn their shafts are dark as in the adult, they have not the linear lanceolate character so conspicuous in the latter ;. the upper tail-coverts are dark shafted as in the adult; the tail feathers are white at the base, on both webs; the greater part of the rest of the inner web white, with a little grey towards the tips, and of the outer webs silvery grey ; fully the basal third of the shafts white, the terminal two-thirds blackish ; the tertials and their coverts nearly pure white; only a row or two of the lesser coverts along the edge of the wing pale brown, and the tertials themselves, and greater coverts, with a tinge of the same hue about the tips; the whole of the lesser and median coverts, from the elbow to the carpal joint, pale brown (some of the feathers greyer, and others more buffy), _ darker shafted, and faintly tipped with white; primaries and secondaries with white at their bases on both webs, and with a large portion of their inner webs white; the rest a darkish brown ; winglet and primary greater coverts much of the same IN JERDON OR STRAY FEATHERS. 451 color; the greater.coverts of the secondaries are mostly pure white, those only near the primaries tinged at the tips with rather pale buffy brown. In a younger stage still the whole upper surface of the bird, in fact the whole bird as seen swimming in the water, appears a dull earthy brown, but I never succeeded in bagging a specimen in this stage, though I have seen several such in November. These birds come in October and leave in March; they are not rare in large pieces of water in Oudh, the North- Western Provinces and the Punjab, but in Sindh and all along the Mekran Coast they are the Pelican. I observed incredible numbers in the Indus, and in every large inland lake ; in the Kurachee harbour, and in every bay along the coast thence to Gwader. In the middle of February they had all assumed the deep orange pouch, and the straw colored breast patch.— Hume, “ Monogr. Gen. Pelicanus.” Hotes. I suspect THAT fallina telmatophila, nobis, ante. p. 142, isreally Rallus superciliaris, Hyton.—A. and M. N. H., XVL., 230, 1845. This has been universally identified with Porzana cinerea, which also occurs in the Malay Peninsula, but reading carefully HKyton’s description, itis certain that this identification is wrong, and very probable I think that he intended to describe the bird I named ¢telmatophila. His original description is as follows :—“ Rallus superciliaris.—R. olivaceo brunneus, gula alba, striga superciliart rufo, subtus strigis atris et albis transversis alternate notatis, pedibus rostroque viridibus. Long. tot. 93 une. ; tarsi, 13 une. ; ros. fron., 3, une.” The dimension of the bill is of course absurd, andjthe whole lower parts are not banded, only the parts below the breast, but on the whole the description seems to me to apply fairly well, and lam utterly at a loss to understand how an authority so careful as Salvadori—not to mention many others who are nei- ther careful nor authorities—could identify a bird thus described with cinerea. REFERRING TO MY supposed new species Jole terricolor, S. F., VII, 141, I feel bound to suggest the possibility that has oc- curred to me that this may be one stage of the plumage of Jole cinerea, Hay. Bly., J. A.S. B., XIV, 573, 1845, from Malacca. 452 NOTES. My bird is considerably larger, as will be seen :— I. terricolor, Length, 8; wing, 40; tail, 3:9; billfrom gape, 1:0. TI, cinerea, 3 ea 3°75 3 5) 3°25 5 a9 O87 Then again cinerea has the upper parts cinereous brown, the forehead and above the eye ashy, which color also margins the pointed feathers of the crown, whereas there is not a trace in terricolor of any cinereous tinge on the upper surface. It isa very uniform pure brown, a little warm in its tinge, inter- mediate between an earth brown and hair brown, though near- est the latter. Again the ear-coverts in ¢erricolor form a most conspicuous patch which could scarcely have escaped Blyth’s notice, but no mention of these is made in his description of cinerea. On the whole I believe terricolor is probably distinct, but I for- got to refer to [ole cinerea when describing it, and think it right, therefore, now to draw attention to the fact that the two may possibly be identical. REFERRING TO Moork’s Orthotomus maculicollis, P. Z. S., 1854, 309, from Malacca, and Mr. Sharpe’s remarks on this spe- cies, Ibis, 1877, 116, in which he suggests that the bird may have come from one of the Philippine Islands, it may be interesting to state that Davison shot a male of this species on Singapore Island on 20th September. The bird is very like sutorius, but is distinguished at once by its larger bill, duller colors, bright ferruginous thigh-coverts, and brown, white streaked ear-coverts and sides of head. In Vou. VI, p. 519, I noticeD having obtained near Tavoy a specimen of a Zosterops which I said might either be an acci- dental variety of Z. palpebrosa, or might indicate a new species. I said that, if other specimens were obtained, the bird would require a name, and that in that case it might stand as Z. auriwenter. - Tnow find that I have five similar specimens from different parts of the Malay Peninsula, and though apparently not pre- viously thence recorded, I entertain little doubt that these spe- cimens are referable to Z. lateralis, Tem., MSS. in Mus. Lug- den; Hartlaub, Monograph of the genus Zosterops, J. F. O., 1865, p. 15. Hartlaub says of this species, of which he was the first I believe to publish any description : ““ Numerous specimens of this species from both Java and Sumatra are in the Leyden Collection. Henri Boie collected this species in July on Tapos NOTES. 453 Mountain. In Jules Verreaux’ collection are three specimens, labelled Timor. Hartlaub’s original description runs as follows :—“ Supra sa- ~ turate flavescente viridis ; supracaudalibus flavioribus ; remigi- bis nigris, dorsi colore marginatis ; cauda nigra; annulo perio- phthalmico albo ; infra nigro circumdato ; gula citrina; pecto- re et abdomine dilute plumbeis, medio longitudinaliter flavis ; cruribus et subcaudalibus saturate flavis, subalaribus albis, fla- vido varius, rostro brevi, recto, nigricante.” Except that I should call the wings and tail dark brown instead of black. This description fits our bird perfectly, and my proposed name auriventer must, therefore, be suppressed, lateralis being added instead to our Indian list. Tue Cryton Spur Fowt is generally quoted as Galloper- dix zeylonensis, Gm., 8. N., I, 759, 1788; but Gmelin him- self quotes the name bicalcarata from the Indian Zoology, fig. 14, shewing that this name and figure had been published before his own compilaticn. He himself rejected this name because ha classed the bird as a Perdiz next to the Linnean Perdix (Francolinus) bicaleara- tus of Senegal, but Peanant’s name was clearly anterior to his own, and as we are all agreed to class the bird in a wholy differ- ent genus to that in which the Linnean bicalcaratus is placed, Pennant’s name must now be maintained. As a matter of fact, Pennant’s name appears to have been first published in the London Folio edition of 1769, though the only editions that I have been able to come across are the London Quarto one of 1790,* and Forster’s German one of 1795. Cartan BuTLER SENT me a lovely specimen of Demiegretta gularis, Bose., shot by him at Mundavie, in Kutch, on the 21st of January, 1878. This bird is an old adult in the deepest ashy-blue plumage, but it is remarkable for having not only a larger gular space than usual pure white, but for having the whole of the primary greater coverts, and also the 4th and 5th primaries, pure white. Mr. Sersonm says: “I have examined the types of Phyl- loscopus presbytis and find, as I had already guessed, that this species is identical with P. viradipennis, of Blyth, but inas- much as P. presbytis was never described by Miiller, and the bird * So given on the title page, but the preface bears date March Ist, 1791, and I believe that the work was not actually published till 1792. 58 454 NOTES. is mentioned by him as from Swmatra, whereas the supposed types inthe Leyden Museum are labelled from Timor, the spe- cies must of course stand under Blyth’s name. He apps: “I am also nearly sure that P. plumbeitarsus will prove to be the summer plumage of P. viridanus. This bird willthen breed abundantly from the Ural to Lake Baikal and winter in India and Burmah.” J think this view will require confirmation. Mr. E. W. Cievetanp sends me a beautiful specimen of Bucanetes githagineus, which he shot near Hattin in the Gour- gaon district (Punjab) on the 16th December 1877. No doubt the bird occurred here, as Mr. Cleveland remarks, as a mere straggler, but still its occurrence so far east is most remarkable. When I discovered it years ago in Sindh, this was an enor- mous extension eastwards of its range, (which westwards stretches to the Canaries.) Again, last year, when I shot it at Jodhpoor, we had a further easternly extension, and now this new locality extends the range to the 78° E. Long. It MAY BE WELL to notice that all the Joras collected by Mr. Cleveland in the Gourgaon district are, without exception, nigroluted. Mr. CLEVELAND ALSO SENDs me a female of that rare species, Pratincola insignis, one of the very few known Indian species of which our museum has hitherto contained no single example. This he shot at Captaingunj, Zillah Bustee, (viz., a little west of Segowlee, whence Hodgson’s type came) on the 27th October. Length, 5°8; wing, 3°42; bill from frontal bone, 0°67 ; tarsus, 1:08; tail, 2°4; irides brown; bill and legs black. Upper parts grey earth brown, the feathers all centered with dark hair brown; upper tail-coverts dull, rather pale ferru- ginous buff; wings and tail blackish brown; the greater and median coverts broadly tipped, the greater ones with dull rather creamy white, the rest with pale buff, forming two rather conspicuous wing bars; all the quills and coverts, the secon- — daries (which are also tipped) rather more broadly, margined with creamy white; tail feathers similar, the margin most conspicuous on the outer web of the outer feather; chin and upper throat creamy, rest of lower parts nearly uniform rufous buff (with an indistinct gorget of blackish brown spots at the NOTES. 455 base of the throat) and paling somewhat on lower tail-coverts, flanks, axillaries and wing-lining; there is a rufous white patch at the base of the quills on their inner webs. Nore tTuHat at p. 426, Vol. VI., the tarsi of the male in Pavo muticus are given by a misprint at from 7-0 to 8:5. It should have been 5°5 to 6°3. Some yEArs Aco I identified some Pipits procured in India as Anthus pratensis. Verreaux confirmed this identification, (vide Ibis, 1871, 36.) I now believe that we were both wrong, and I very much doubt whether A. pratensis occurs at all in India, SoME yEaRS AGO I proposed the name swinhoei for the Indian representative of the Javan Merops quinticolor. Swinhoe first pointed out the constant difference which distinguishes the two forms, and applied Gmelin’s name erythrocephalus, The Marquis of Tweeddale correctly pointed out that this name was quite indeterminable, and could not therefore be used. I then applied the name swinhoet. The Marquis of Tweeddale then asserted that this name was quite unnecessary, as Vieillot’s name leschenaulti would apply. I was away from any library at the time. I knew that this was wrong, and that I had lvoked into it before applying the name, but being unable to quote chapter and verse, dropped the matter and forgot it. The other day in working out, as I am doing slowly, the synonymy of all our Indian birds, some 2,000 in number, I came upon this species, and I find that Vieillot’s name leschenaultt is by no means applicable. Vieillot’s two names are founded on plates 15 and 18, (pp. 51, 55) of LeVaillant’s Guépiers, both of which plates unmis- takeably represent the Javan form. I have laid a series of each form on the table, pointing out their differences, and have then shown both plates, and every person to whom I have so shown them has unhesitatingly assigned both plates to the Javan form. The bird was really, it seems to me, unnamed, until I named it, and if so will stand as, 456 NOTES. 119.—Merops swinhoei, Hume, (S. F., 11., 163, 1874). quinticolor, Vieill., Gould. B. of As., Pt. VIIT., pl. 13; Jerd. B. of In. I., 208, eé. auct. nec Vieill. urica, Horsf, Gould, loc. cit, nec Horsf. erythrocephalus, Gm. S. N., 1, 463, apud Swinh. P. Z. 8. 1871, 848, nec Gm. leschenaulti, Vieill. apud Wald.; Blyth’s B. of Burma, J. A. S. B. 1875, Extra No. 72; Ibis, 1873, 801, nec Vieddl. Mr. Brooks SHOT a specimen of Cyornis mandeliii, Hume, S. F., I1., 510, at Muddapoor (on the EH. I. R. in the Son- thal Pergunnahs, 160 miles due N. W. of Calcutta as the crow flies) on the 25th of September. He correctly identified the species, but he remarks: “Though I at first set it down as a Cyornis, I now think it should rather be referred to Alseonaz. The very short tarsus separates it from Cyornis, and the coloration and the ring round the eye have an dlseonar-like character.” I am not prepared to dispute this view at present, but 1 must note that with the large number of species I now have of Cyornis, from India, Burmah, and Malayana, this genus has seemed to me quite to grade into Alseonaz. Numerous specimens of this very marked and distinct species have now been sent me from Sikhim and the Travancore Hills. Mr. Brooks’ specimen, procured at Muddapoor, was doubtless migrating southwards. It does not seem to have turned up as» yet in Ceylon, though it doubtless occurs in the hills there during the cold season as it does in the neighbouring Assamboo Hills. Iv Is PERFECTLY WELL KNowN, though it has perhaps never been noted in Stray Fearuers, that Dr. Jerdon’s No. 611, Allotrius enobarbus was not enobarbus at all, which is a purely Javan species, and moreover lumped two perfectly distinct species, A. melanotis and A. xanthochloris, of Hodgson, which were erroneously assumed to be male and female of the same species. My Frienp, Mr. D. G. Extior, has particularly pressed me to examine Blyth’s Porphyrula chloronotus, and let the public know what it is. NOTES. 457 Well, in the first place, the specimen when Blyth received it 30 years ago, was, he notes, in bad order, and naturally the lapse of time has not improved its condition ; the entire tail is gone, and with it all the lower tail-coverts, but one tiny tuft, which is white, now yellowish and sullied. Most of the primaries of one wing are mutilated ; the feathers all about the base of both mandibles have disappeared. Then the bird originally was a young one—this is apparent from traces of pale tips to the feathers of the mantle. Blyth believed that the specimen had come from the West Coast of Africa, but the donor, Mr. Templeton, was not certain. Looking to all that remains of the specimen, I have no doubt that itis a young bird of P. allent, Thompson, and though it is rather smaller than adults, and has the frontal shield skin undeveloped, and the colour of the plumage, especially of the lower parts, very much duller, this is only what might be looked for in a young bird; and as regards shape of bill, shape and position of nostril, size and shape and scutellation of lees, feet aud claws, the correspondence is exact. I cannot FinpD (though I may have done so) that I have ever noted in Stray Fraruers, that, as was long ago pointed out by Blyth and others, Jerdon’s No. 588.—Henicurus nigrifrons, Hodgs, is nothing but the young of his No, 587—Henicurus seouleri, Vigors. It HAS BEEN STATED that Vigors, when he described Trocha- lopteron variegatum, described the species with the grey and black wings and tail which I described as T. simile, (vide Ibis, 1871, 406, Lahore to Yarkand, 193, pl. VIL, and §. F., IIL, 407) and not the species with bright yellow in these parts, and that therefore it is this latter that requires a new name. Such, however, is not the case. Referring to Gould’s figure, taken from Vigor’s type, it will be seen that this was of the ordinary Central Himalayan type, such as we alone get about Simla with the yellow in wings and tail, and not at all the bird of the extreme North-West, which I named and figured. Ihave no doubt that both are good species as species go. At their head-quarters, each is perfectly true to type without any admixture of the other, and these their head-quarters are widely separated. Doubtless other more or less distinct, and perhaps interme- diate forms occur in the intermediate country, but so long as Thamnobia cambaiensis and fulicata, Crocopus chlorigaster, phenicopterus and viridifrons, &e., &e., are maintained, we must, 458 NOTES. a fortiort, (for the differences are even more marked), maintain both Trochalopteron variegatum and simile. THERE IS A WRETCHED SPECIES, No. 649 ¢er of my list, viz., Melaniparus semilarvatus, of Salvadori, of which I have for years tried to obtain a description. At last I wrote to Salvadori himself, but he, though very kindly favouring me with all his more recent publications, will not come to the front about this particular species. Iconclude it,is a bad species. HAVING LATELY obtained access to the XIX Vol. of the Asia- tic Researches, and also having obtained specimens of the large Paroquet killed by Dr. Scully in the Saul forests of Nepaul, L find that Hodgson’s name, P. nipalensis, cannot be applied to the species which occurs in the Sikhim Terai, and thence eastwards in Assam, Cachar, and with slight modifications throughout Burmah into Tenasserim, and which has no tinge of glaucous blue on nape and cheeks, but on the contrary refers to the species which exhibits this tinge, and is synonymous with Hutton’s name sivalensis, of which it takes precedence. No doubt Hodgson figures in his drawings the Eastern form, but he got the specimens I find when at Darjeeling. That the birds which he described as nipadensis were really Hutton’s sivalensis, is proved first from: Dr. Scully’s specimens procured in the same locality as Hodgson’s types, and, secondly, by the passage in his original description, reproduced below, which I have printed in italics. “Very brilliant green, somewhat shaded with verditer blue on the nape, belly and lining of the wings ; tail paler than the body, and shaded externally with yellow; below and the tips and inner vanes yellow ; throat and a broad half collar black ; the collar completed dorsally with rosy red ; a large longitudinal bar of sanguine lake color down the shoulders, just outside of the scapulars ; bill intense coral red ; iris pale straw ; legs greenish erey; talons dusky ; size large, 22 inches long by 26 wide, and 9 to 10o0z. in weight. “ Female rather less, and without any red mark on the wing. Young, at first, wholly green, with a yellowish bill. Inhabits the Saul forest exclusively.” There remain, therefore, the birds of the Indo-Burmese region, far exceeding the Cingalese eupatrius in size, wanting the elaucous grey blue tinge on the nape and sides of head of true nipalensis (sivalensis), and wanting the huge bill of magniroséris. They do not agree perfectly, inter se; the northern (or Sikbim Terai) birds are not quite so long tailed as the southern (or NOTES. 459 Burmese) ; they have the mandibular stripes broader, and they have the base of the throat like the breast, and wanting, or nearly wanting, the yellow tinge, which, in some of the Burmese birds, is almost as bright as in magnirostris; but as a body they are well distinguished from the other three races, and there must be a limit to splitting up this form, and I therefore propose to keep them as one species under the name of P. indoburmanicus. I po NoT THINK that it has ever been pointed out in Stray FeaTHers, that Yunx indica, Gould., No. 189 of Jerdon’s Birds of India, was almost certainly founded, owing to some misapprehension, upon an African specimen, and is in no way deserving of inclusion in the Avifauna of the Indian Empire. At pace. 436 or Vou. IIT, Mr. Sharpe pointed out certain supposed differences, whereby Dendrophila frontalis, Horsf., of Java, Sumatra, and Borneo, was, in his opinion, separable from D. corallina, Hodgs., of India, Ceylon and Burmah. I cannot find, though I may have done so, that I have ever noted, that Ihave numerous Indian and Burmese specimens, exhibiting in a marked degree the alleged characteristics of both forms, and that in my opinion, therefore, Mr. Sharpe’s diagnosis is invalid. I have.not yet examined Javan or Sumatran specimens, and it is therefore possible that some differences, other than those that Mr. Sharpe has pointed out, may exist between the Insular and Continental races ; but I think this unlikely, and for the present I think that all ought to stand under Horsfield’s name. ANOTHER WELL-KNOWN POINT, viz., the identity of Blyth’s Propasser frontalis, Jerdon’s No. 744, with P. thura, of Bona- parte, Jerdon’s No. 740, seems as yet never to have been noticed in StRAyY FEATHERS, Bot JERDON AND Buyra are certainly in error in uniting Hogdson’s Acanthoptila nipalensis (= his Timalia leucotis) with his Timalia pellotis, The mistake apparently arose from Hodgson’s oversight in sending a specimen of the former mis-ticketed with the name of the latter. The birds appear to be totally distinct, not even congeneric ; but I will first reproduce Hodgson’s original descriptions, which being contained in the Asiatic Researches (XIX., p. 182, 1836) are quite inaccessible to most of us here. 460 NOTES, “« Sub-genus, TIMALIA. 4th species, New; NIPALENSIS, nobis. Nipalese Timalia, nobis. Form.—Bill assimilating closely with the last-named species (Pomatorhinus ruficollis), but stronger and straighter ; equal merely to the head in length, subarcuated only, but distinctly so, and perfectly entire. Culmen rather more carinated between the nares, the tect of which is less hard and less arched than in the typical Pomatorhint. Rictus more strongly bristled. Shafts of the head and neck-plumes spinous, as in Cinclosoma setafer (nobis.) Legs stronger, with more distinct scales ; another approximation to Ginclosoma. Tail equal to the whole body and bill, consisting of 12 broad and straight, but fray- ed feathers, the extreme laterals of which are gradated by half the entire length of the tail, or doubly as much as in the foregone species. Colour and size.—Above, with the flanks, thighs and under tail- coverts brown, paler and more olive beneath than superiorly ; below from chin to breast rufescent, from breast to vent albescent, and both shaded with a tinge of the colour above ; entire cheeks pure white ; iris hoary blue ; bill and legs dull dark plumbeous ; the whole plumage black shafted; the outer vanes of the prime quills paled ; sexes alike. Size 10 inches by 10, and 2:25 oz. ; bill, 1; tail, 5 ; tarsus, 1-44 ; central toe, 0:93 ; hind, 0°56. 5th species ; PELLOTIS, brown ear, nobis. Characters.—Extremely similar to those of the last, but re- turning towards the typical Pomatorhkint by its shorter and rayed tail. Golour and size.—Above, dull olive green, inclining towards brown ; thighs, vent and under tail-coverts the same, but paler ; cheeks concolorous with the body; ear-coverts darker and brown; below white, tinted with rufous towards the head, and shaded with the colour of the thighs and vent towards them ; bill above and towards the tip blackish; below pure plumb- eous ; legs pure plumbeous grey; iris hoary ; whole plumage black shafted as in the last, and similarly spinous; tail closely rayed across. Size of the last, but not measuring so much in length, owing to the shorter tail, 9 inches by 10, and 2°25 oz; bill, 1:12 ; tarsus, 1:37 ; central toe, 0°87 ; hind toe, 0°5; tail, 4 ; sexes alike. Now even these descriptions make it very clear that the birds are distinct, but the carefully finished pictures of both amongst Mr. Hodgson’s drawings make this still more apparent. Acanthoptila nipalensis is something like a gigantic edition of Laticilla burnesi, with a comparatively slender bill ; in some respects recalling Pyetoris longirostris, with a very long, loose, NOTES. 461 muchi-graduated, broad-feathered tail, a deep red brown above, with bright rufous breast and throat and pure white lores, cheeks and ear-coverts, while Timalia (Malacocercus) pellotis has a regular thick Malacocercus bill; a stiffer, shorter narrower feathered tail; a dull earthy brown above, with rather darker brown ear-coverts and dirty-white throat and breast. A per- fect Malacocercus, except for the more or less conspicuous dark shafts to the feathers of both upper and under surface. This, it may be thought, does not altogether agree with Hodg- son’s descriptions. I can only say that I would rather go by his figures, for in the case of a great many species, I have found his artists’ pictures more correct as to coloring, to my ideas at any rate, than his descriptions. As far as I know, no one has ever got either of these birds since Hodgson’s time. Both are birds of the high hills in the interior of Nepal, from which no specimens have been obtained since his time. At my request Dr. Anderson kindly looked out the Museum specimens of 4. nipalensis. Blyth only acknowledges two, but Dr. Anderson had, in re-arranging the birds, found three. All are very much faded and in bad order, so that the original colours cannot be certi- fied ; but one has lost its tail and much of the feathers of the head, and might belong to another species, but on the whole Dr. Anderson and myself both agreed that all three must be refer- red to A. nipalensis, and that pellotis was not represented. If Hodgson sent either of these as pellotis, it must, I think, have been simply by one of those oversights that do occur in sending away specimens. I veRY MUCH REGRET to say that my specimen of the very peculiar form, which [ described, /bis, 1872, 410, and S. F., TII, 409, as Dumeticola cyanocarpa, and which Mr. Brooks carefully examined with me and agreed to be new, though he doubted the birds being a true Dumeticola (or Schenicola, as it must stand, wde 8. F., VII, 3%) has somehow disappeared. It may yet be found, but all the old portion of the Museum has been so re-arranged that it could hardly be overlooked, and I fear it is lost. This is the more vexatious that the form was a very peculiar one, and that no second specimen has come to hand, and that until it or some new specimen is re-examined, we cannot be certain of the geuus to which it should be assigned. Ir MAY BE WELL TO DRAW attention to the fact that Anthus montanus, of Blyth and Jerdon, J. A.S. B., XVI., 485, 1847, 59 462 NOTES. though a most distinct and well-marked species, indeed perhaps the most distinct of all the Pipits, and though well characterized by the describers, still probably, according to one school, lacks a name. This bird is clearly congeneric with Anthus montanus, of Koch, of 1816, which=4A. spinoletta, and according to one school, Koch’s dead name can never be re-applied to any species of the genus. I think they are quite wrong, and that their views are directly opposed to the spirit of rule (q) Pt. I, section A, of the Code, and therefore, do not propose any fresh name for the species. Jerdon’s original name for the species, _ rufescens, could not stand, being a misapplication of one of Temminck’s. This species is confined to the Nilgheris, or may possibly — extend from these to some of the other neighbouring hill groups and ranges of Southern India. It is even on the Blue Mountains far from common, and there are probably a few speci- mens of itin Kurope. This may account for the extraordinary manner in which European ornithologists have calmly united this with one or other Azthus, to which it bears no resemblance. It is perhaps, though so very limited in its range, one of the best characterized and most distinct of all the Pipits. Once seen it can never be mistaken. AuTHouGH DRESSER HAS UTTERLY ignored the matter and has stated that there is no record of the Hawfinch’s occurring in India, I felt quite sure that there was, and I now find that I duly announced in the /bis for 1869 (p. 456), that I had obtained two Hawfinches from Attock. THE FOLLOWING REMARKS by Major God-Austen from J. A. 8S. B., XLVII, 16, 1878, deserve to be reproduced, although I personally, with a large series of both Assam and Tenasserim birds, at least a dozen of each, did not see my way to separating the two. “| have compared a specimen from Sadiya of the bird hither- to considered as Zurdinus brevicaudatus with the type in the Calcutta Museum, obtained by Col. Tickell in Tenasserim, and find that they are after all distinct. The Tenasserim form is very strong rufous on the breast, belly, and under tail- coverts ; the spots on the secondaries are small and triangular, whereas in that from Sadiya they are large and tip the feather. The throat is also greyer in this last. In the bis for 1876, p. 854, Lord Tweeddale remarks on the highly-colored drawing by Tickell of 7. brevicaudatus, and Mr. Gould has very pro- bably figured an Assam bird, which should stand properly under the title of Z. striatus, Walden, described in Ann. NOTES. 463 Mag. Nat. Hist., (4), VIL, p. 241, and which Jerdon had very probably compared with true brevicaudatus from the Bur- mah side and considered distinct. This bird is the one I refer to under the title of Z. Wélliamsoni in J. A. S. B., Pt. II., 1877, p. 44. I have four specimens from Sadiya (Garo Hills and Munipur), in all of which the spots on the secon- daries are rufous, while in a specimen, from the Mooleyit range, Tenasserim, obtained by Mr. Limborg, they are white, thus agreeing with Col. Tickell’s drawing of true brevicaudatus from the same locality. This specimen is again not so rufous as the type in the Indian Museum, but this is a very variable character in this group, (as may be seen in Paepyga squamata, of which specimens white beneath are often met with,) and probably depends cn age. After all striatus is only a variety of brevi- caudatus.” I pon’T THINK I HAVE ever mentioned in Stray Fratuers, what I noticed in the Jbis (1870, 435) viz., having obtained a specimen of the Cape Pigeon, Daption capensis (a Petrel, not of course a pigeon at all, though sailors so chose to designate it) from the Gulf of Manar, between Ceylon and the mainland. IT SEEMS TO BE Now generally accepted as a fact that our Indian Dove (“ Turtur cambayensis, Gm.) is specifically iden- tical with the African, T. senegalensis, Zin., which latter name, consequently, has precedence. Ir HAs TO BE NOTED that according to Mr. Howard Saunders (I have not yet looked into the matter myself,) the pale Herring Gull, that I described S. F., I., 270, as argentatus, and that Dresser identified as Jeucopheus, Licht., is really the true cachinnans of Pallas, and should therefore, if this be the case, stand under this name. Again, he says, that the bird that I described under the name of Larus occidentalis, 8. F., I., 278, ‘isnot the real occidentalis, but should stand as L. affnis, Reinh. Both points are open to argument, but for the present we may tentatively adopt these views. SPEAKING OF THE WIDE distribution of Dendrocygna fulva in America, Messrs. Sclater and Salvin remark :— Singular as this distribution is, it is still more remarkable when we consider that there exist no tangible grounds for separating the American bird from that called D. major by 464 NOTES. Jerdon, which ranges through the peninsular of India and is also found in Madagasear.”’ The specific title fulva (Gm. 8S. N., 1. 530, 1788) has of course precedence. IN MY NoTrEs on THE Swans of India, p. 101, I accepted Mr. Brooks’ statement that the Swan obtained by Mr. Hodgson, ~ in Nepal, was Cygnus ferus. The drawing taken from the fresh bird was not accessible at the time, and I saw no reason to question my old friend’s verdict. ; Having now obtained and examined this drawing, I am eonstrained to say that in my opinion he is in error, and that the species represented is C. bewickit and not C. ferus. In the first place the bill is shorter and deeper than that of the latter ; in the second place the distribution of colour on the bill is conclusive. Nearly the whole bill is black ; the terminal half of the bill is entirely black ; on the basal half, the whole of the lower man- dible is black, also the culmen and a broad band on either side; remain the triangular spaces in front of the eyes, and similar triangles on the sides of the upper mandible (the two triangles, base to base, forming a not very regular diamond,) fleshy yellow. The entire plumage is snowy white, showing that the bird was adult; only the forehead and crown tinged with ferrugi- nous buff—a peculiarity commonly observable in these swans. Of course no adult ferus ever had the bill thus colored. I have laid the drawing beside the heads of both ferus and bewickit, and there can be no possible doubt that it refers to the latter. While then bewickii must be admitted into our list, there is no sufficient reason, at present, for including ferus. Besipes tHE C'langula glaucion which was obtained in Oudh, (S. F., IV., 225) I see that Blyth remarks, “ C. glaucion, was obtained by Sir A. Burnes on the Indus, and is figured among his drawings in the possession of the Asiatic Society.” I HAVE SEVERAL TIMES heard of Crea pratensis being obtained in India, but I have never yet seen an Indian-killed specimen. Blyth says: “The Cree pratensis is stated by the well-known Indian, sporting writer “ Purdy” to have been once shot by him in Oudh. I know of no other authority, for it as am Indian bird, but have seen specimens from Afghanistan.” Can any one give me any further reliable information as to its title to be included in our List of the Birds of India?” NOTES. 465 JERDON INCLUDES Fringilla montifringilla (No. 752) in the “Birds of India,” on what reads like very fair evidence, but I confess that 1 have my doubts of the occurrence of this species within our limits, although it very likely may occur in Wakhan, Badakshan and Cabool. As to the Simla and Mussouri habitats, I can only regard them as requiring confirmation, which I have altogether failed to obtain. I[ have never seen, nor even heard on reliable authority, of an Indian killed specimen of this species. Has any one else? Because, if so, let him speak. REFERRING To 912—Porzana Ceytonica, Gmelin apud Jerdon nec Gm., the Marquis of Tweeddale makes (P. Z. 8., 1877, p. 767) the following instructive remarks: I had already in- dependently come to this same conclusion, but his Lordship was the first to publish it and put the whole question very clearly. “ Brown, (Illustr., p. 94, and XXXVII, “Ceylon,” 1776,) described and figured under the title of TH Aai/, this species from a Ceylonese example obtained by Governor Loten. At p- 96 he also deseribed, and on plate XXXVIII he figured, a distinct bird from the same source under the title of Raz. Gmelin (S. N., I., p. 716, No. 17) copied Brown’s description of his Rail and bestowed on it the title of Rallus zeylonicus, But Gmelin, while correctly quoting p. 96 of the Illustrations, incorrectly referred to plate XX XVII, on which is depicted Brown’s Tue Rail. On Brown’s description of THz Raid Gmelin founded no title; but when incorporating the Linnean species Rallus capensis (Mautissa, p. 525) inhis edition of the “Sys- tema” (1. c. No. 11), and more or less transcribing the Linnzan diagnosis, he followed Latham (Synop. III, pt. I, p. 234. No. 8) ng referred the Linnazan to the one described by Brown at p- 94, as well as to the one figured by Brown on plate XXXVIII. Latham made the identification with a note of interrogation. Gmelin, in both cases, associated the wrong plate with the pages ecoataining Brown’s descriptive remarks, and ealled both species Rail. As Gmelin’s diagnosis of his Rallus zeylonicus does not apply to the ferruginous-breasted Rail of Ceylon, tHe Rail of Brown, we must adopt the next title, that of lLafresnaye—Gallinula eurizonoides, Lafresn., Rev. Zool., 1845, p. 368. Icannot with certainty identify the bird described and figured by Brown under his title of Rail, (Rallus zeylonicus, Gm.) ; but it is apparently a gallinaceous bird—possibly Galloper die spadiceus (Gm.)” ~ 466 Hetters to the Gditor, Sir,—I have, during the last three or four months, had peculi- arly good opportunities of observing the different habits of the Waders in their breeding haunts. Full notes in regard to each and all of these that I observed I send for the new edition of “ Nests and Eggs,” but one curious general fact that came to my notice in regard to a whole community of these birds may be worth separate notice. In July, I found five large colonies of these birds breeding in the middle of a large swamp called the “ Mukku Dhund.” Their breeding grounds were far removed from the haunts of man, and were dense tamarisk jungle, mostly composed of young trees growing in water from four to eight feet deep. The first breeding ground I visited, I got out of my canoe and waded into it, the water being up tomy chin. The birds had all completed their nests, but with the exception of one or two Blue and Purple Herons, none of them had laid eggs. I was extremely careful to make no noise, half wading, half swimming, with nothing but my head above water ; and, assoon as I was satistied that the birds had not, with very few excep- tions, as yet begun to lay, I stole out, got into my canoe, and paddled away. ‘The clamour the birds made could be heard a long way off, and when inside amongst the nests the uproar was deafening, and some of the sounds most diabolical. Some five days later, I returned with my canoe, laden with tin boxes to pack the eggs in, but on getting close to the place, none of the usual sounds met my ear; neither did I see any birds flying about the place, except one or two Blue and Purple Herons. On wading into the jungle, I found that not only had the birds deserted the place, but that they had carried away every single stick belonging to their nests too ! Where, on my former visit, there were thousands of nests, there was now not a vestige of one to be seen, so clean swept was it that I almost thought I had mistaken the place, but a box, which I had on my former visit left in a fork of a tree, was clear evidence of my being on the original spot. The one or two Herons which had begun to lay on my former visit were the only occupants of the clump of jungle. It took me a week to find the new ground to which the birds had taken themselves and their nests, and which was some three miles away. This place 1 was very careful not to go near until I was quite certain the birds were laying. Numerous other birds came and joined in, and in the course of LETTERS TO THE EDITOR. 467 a fortnight the breeding ground extended some 1} miles in length by about 4 a mile broad, and contained the following species: Ardea cinerea, A. purpurea, A. torra, A. intermedia, A. garzetta, Buphus coromandus, Nyctiardea nycticoraz, Anas- tomus oscitans, [bis melanocephalus, Phalacrocorax fuscicollis, P. melanognathus and Plotus melanogaster. Each of the different species were more or less separate, and the three Egrets, A. torra, A. intermedia and A. garzetta, though apparently all mixed up together, were still, as far as my observations went, distinct. I noticed not only in this particular ground, but in others also, that A. garzetta’s nests were all hud- dled close together but on the lowest branches, A. intermedia’s nests were also close together, but were above those of garzetta, while torva’s nests were on the topmost branches. Several colonies which I watched from a distance peering round the trunk of a tree with nothing but my head above water, exhibited this arrangement in a marked manner, the birds being seen in three tiers. Of course I do not mean that there were no excep- tions to this rule, but it was the general way in which the nests were arranged. P. melanognathus and B. coromandus were the only birds which seemed to build anywhere and everywhere, their nests being more or less scattered all ever the ground. I have not entered the Spoonbill, but the fishermen tell me it breeds there in October, and I noticed the other day that they were just coming in together with Tantalus leucocephalus. —Yours truly, 8. Dole. S1r,—ALtow me to correct a serious mistake which occurs at p. 150 of “8. F.,” Vol. VII. The eggs and specimens referred to of Myiophoneus horsfieldi were obtained at Purandhur, a hill sanitarium about 15 miles south of Poonah, and not as was ori- ginally stated Poorbander, in Kattiawar. E. A. Burer, HYDERABAD, Capt., 83rd Regt. 12th November 1878. Sir,-——Ar page 112 (ante) I said that I obtained at the Man- chur “ #. albicilla and eggs.” I did not get the eggs of the European White-tailed Fish Eagle. I should have written “ H. albicilla and A. macei and eggs.” Please notify this correction in your next issue. J. A. Murray. KURRACHEE, November 1878. 468 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR. Srr,—To-day, the 16th September, I procured a fully grown young bird of D. inornatus, together with one of the old birds. This young bird confirms the opinion (if further confirmation were now necessary after your paper, [V., 407) that D. longi- caudatus is the winter plumage of D. inornatus. The young one is in quite the Jongicaudatus or rufous plumage, and has the longicaudatus tail. It is hardly so rufous as an old winter bird, and its tail is a little shorter, but this might be expected of a young bird. . As the young bird is, in some cases at any rate, perfect longi- caudatus, (1 do not forget that Captain Bingham got grey young ones also,) this question is now finally set at rest; since the exception to which you drew attention, 1V., 408, a typical longicaudatus, shot in July, must have been in all probability a fine young bird and not an adult as you supposed. Most, if not all, of the Drymoip: have a breeding plumage distinct from the winter dress, and the plumage of their young. The summer plumage is greyer and much less rufous, and the lower parts lose their warm tint and become pale creamy white. The long winter tail of a rufous brown is changed for a dark grey and shorter one, with light grey or whitish under surface. I think it will be found that every unstreaked or unstriated Drymoipus has two plumages, differing much from each other. The difference of plumage is more marked in the male. W. E. Brooss. Sir,—I am not sure whether I reported having obtained a chestnut Bittern on the HK. Narra. From Vol. VII, S. F., I seé (p. 171) that it has not been recorded from Sindh.* I shot a male bird in full breeding plumage on the 13th September 1878, and on the 29th October (two days ago) I shot a young bird quite close here. I also saw a young one about a month ago with Mr. Murray, in Kurrachee, who asked me what it was. Hesaidit had been shot by some one, in Kurrachee. I got a very nice specimen of a male “ Accipiter nisus” the other day, also a female C€. mahrattensis which has the white marks on the primaries, and the lateral tail-feathers with af ulvous tip. HYDERABAD ; S. Dora. 31st October 1878. Sir,—I HAVE just returned from paying a visit to a large breeding place of Phalacrocoraz carbo. My egg-man brought me some 50 odd eggs the other day, and said they belonged to what * But vide ante p.177.—Ep. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR. . 469 he called the Large Cormorant, and so, to make sure, I went myself to-day and secured some 200 more eggs. The breeding ground was in the middle of a swamp called the Samara Dhund, and the nests were placed on old withered Tamarisk trees standing in water about 8 to 10 feet deep. The nests were large platforms of sticks, about 2 feet in diameter one way, and about 2 feet 6 inches the other way, that is, they were more oval than circular. The eggs were laid on a thin bedding of rush and grass, and the greatest number I got in one nest was 7. Some had only 3, others 4,5 and 6; the latter seemed to be the normal number, though some nests had only four young ones just hatched. It evidently was an old breeding ground, as I could count three or four old nests under the present ones, so that the nests were sometimes three feet thick. There were no other kinds of Cormorants, nor in fact any kind of aquatic bird, to be seen in the swamp except a few Pelicans. I shot six of the birds, from whose nests I had taken eggs, and subjoin their measurements. ‘The birds were in different stages of plumage. Some had their neck nearly white, with a large whitish patch round the gape and on throat, also with a whitish patch on the thigh, the rest of the plumage being black, with asort of bronze reflection. Others had the white hairs on the neck either just disappearing or coming, I don’t know which, and others were quite devoid of white about the neck, but had the white gular patch and thigh patch. Iwas very much astonished to find so many as seven eggs in one nest, but there was no mis- take, as I collected them all myself. The nests were only about 4 to 6 feet above water, so that I had nothing to do but stand up in the boat and gather. The total length of the breeding ground was about one mile by about 80 yards wide. Dimensions.—1005. Phalacrocorax carbo, Lin. Wale. | Male. | Male. | Female. |Female.| Female.| REMARKS. Length nee 32°25 33° 33° 30°25* | 31°62 31°62 Both male and Expanse .., 54°5 55° 56°62 51° 51°62 53°5 [female havethe f white hair-like Tail ... ai 75 7-62 675 ip 7-25 |feathers on the neck as well as Wing Se 135 13:5 13°62 12°5 13:25 13°5 the white thigh patch. Bill at front... 25 2°5 2°5 2°37 2°5 2°25 Bill from gape 4 4 4: 35 3°75 3°75 *This bird was much lighter in color, especially on the breast, which showed a good deal of white, apparently a young bird in immature plumage. Eastern Narra District, S. Dore. 16th November 1878. 470 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR. Srr,—I beg to inform you that last year I shot a Woodcock, (Scolopax rusticola), 17 miles south-west of Belgaum, when Snipe-shooting in some rice fields about X’mas time. The fields were surrounded by jungle. About the same time Colonel W. Peyton stumbled on one, by chance, in a nullah when following up a tiger, and sent me the skin. He shot the bird near Jagalbet, in Kanara, on the border of the Belgaum Collectorate. He informed me at the time that he had only seen four during a long residence in Kanara (10—12 years), but I don’t think any one in these parts ever thinks of regularly searching for the birds.* I believe the Woodcock I shot is the only one that has been known to have been shot in the Belgaum District. It may interest you to know that the Madras Rufous Wood- pecker (Micropternus gularis) lives chiefly on the larvze of tree- ants, and in this way its plumage, and especially its tail, being so generally smeared with some sticky stuff, may be accounted for. Ihave frequently seen the birds hammering away at ants’ nests,{ and have shot them covered with ants. In “Jerdon’” it is stated, if I remember rightly, that the gum on their feathers is a vegetable product, but the above is, I believe, the right ex- planation. J. S. Latrp. Norz.—This issue should stand as Nos. 3, 4 and 5; by an over- sight on the first page it stands as Nos. 3 and 4 only.—Ep. * See 8. F., V., 140 & 504; VI., 458. The fact is that the Woodcock is found as a rare straggler everywhere in India and Burma. Large numbers go south yearly from the Himalayas to spend the winter in the Hills of Southern India and Ceylon, and smaller numbers similarly migrate to the higher hills of the Burmo-Malay countries ; some few here and there drop by the way or are caught at the time of migrat- ing, so that there is scarcely a district in the empire from which I have not some record of their occurrence. Even in the most unlikely places of all, Allyghur, Boolund- shur, Agra, Cawnpoor, &¢., single specimens have occurred. Dr. Armstrong even caught one in the Bay of Bengal in Lat. 18°, 40’, N, and Long. 92°, 28’, E.— Ep. + In which like their Northern congener, Micropternus phaioceps (vide 8. ysis 611) they probably lay their own eggs.—Ep. ¢ 8 STRAY FEATHERS. Vol. VIL] MARCH 1879. [No. 6. A History of the Birds of Ceylon, by Captain GA. Gincent Regge, B.Z., Ke, Ke. Tue first part of Captain Legge’s splendid Monograph of the Birds of Ceylon has recently appeared. Two other parts will complete the work, and I can only say that, if the remaining portions are up to the standard of the present instalment, the work as a whole will equal, if not sur- pass, any other work of the kind that has ever appeared. The paper is excellent, the printing first class, and as regards the plates, they are amongst the very best that that real, though now-a-days unutilizable genius, Mr. Keulemans has ever produced. The accessories, therefore, are all that can be desired—nothing like them can be produced in India—and even at a first glance the thick volume before us must extort admiration. A more careful examination, moreover, of the work will only deepen and intensify the pleasure which every Indian ornitho- logist must feel on first becoming acquainted with it. Captain Legge has thoroughly worked up his subject, and to eight years of labour amongst the birds he deals with, in their native wilds, has added two years of study in the libraries and collections of England. Nothing can exceed the loving pains which he has bestowed in elaborating the life histories of his feathered friends; and, while scarcely anything of importance that was on record has escaped him, he has added, from his own personal experiences and researches, much that is new and of great interest. Although, of course, only birds that occur in Ceylon will be included, this work will embrace, I should suppose, over 350 species, of which more than 300 are common to other parts of India, so that it is not only ornithologists in Ceylon, but of all India, who are interested in and should support Captain Legge. He has as yet, he tells me, searcely any Indian sub- scribers, but I cannot doubt that, when the nature and really exceptional merits of this History of the Birds of Ceylon 472 CERIORNIS BLYTHI, JERD. become known, he will have more than he is able to supply copies to. ; | The work appears to me a perfect model of what such a work should be, admirably written, admirably arranged, saying just so much as is necessary of each species, free from all useless repetitions, above all not overloaded with quotations from in- numerable writers, all saying the same thing, the great fault of most modern books on ornithology—my own “ Nests and Eggs” being amongst the very worst in this respect. And here I take the opportunity of saying this much in my defence. “Nests and Eggs” are only intended as a record of materials, from which whoever writes (as I once hoped to do, and might yet, were I spared long enough) the History of the Ornithology of our Indian Empire may safely, and without fear of captious contradictions, generalize. It is in fact (st licet, Sc.) like one of those volumes of data published under the direction of Herbert Spencer, to exhibit the grounds and evidence on which his more abstract conclusions are based. Of course, in a work of this magnitude, there are points in which I do not agree with Captain Legge. He uses names for instance here and there which, according to my views, have not priority ; he makes some identifications in which I do not concur; I miss many important synonyms that I think apply, from amongst the lists of these which head the articles on each species and so on, but quot homines, &c., he is just as likely to be right as I am; and though I must, in the interests of science, to ensure a thorough thrashing out of moot points, gradually notice these, it will only be in view to this and not with any pretence of finding fault, since, to my mind, this History of the Birds of Ceylon merits all possible praise, and Captain Legge himself the support and gratitude of all Indian as well as merely Cingalese ornithologists. ALLAN Home. Ceriornis blptht, Serd. No sufficient or satisfactory description of this fine species has, it seems to me, as yet been published ; but, having carefully examined the type which Dr. Jerdon deposited for some time in my museum, and having, by the kindness of G, Damant, Esq., ©.S., been furnished with fine specimens of adult and young males and females, I am able, to a certain extent, to supply the deficiency. This species in the breeding season, and when fully adult, exhibits the horn-like wattles, and probably also the long, CERIORNIS BLYTHI, JERD. 473 pendant gular apron, characteristic of the genus, but the speci- mens that I have seen, though some of these were certainly adult males, entirely wanted these appendages. However, Mr. Damant informs me that in life one of the males he sent me had horns three-quarters of an inch in length, and of a bright azure blue. According to notes furnished to me by Dr. Jerdon, recorded from the type, an apparently adult male, before he skinned it, had the chin and upper portion of the throat and the orbital region, which are bare, yellow, here and there tinged greenish; the bill greenish horny ; the legs and feet dull yellowish horny ; and the irides pale brown. Not improbably these colors may vary somewhat according to sex, age and season. Dimensions of Adult Males from dried skins.—Length, 21 to 23; wings, 10°25 to 10°75; tarsus, 3 to 3:5; mid-toe, 2-3 to 2°5; its claw, straight, 08 to 0-9; spur, about 0°6; bill at front from base of frontal plumes, 1:0 to 1°1; corneous portion only 0°55 ; from gape, 1:3 to 1:4; from end of bare gular skin to tip of lower mandible, 2°3 to 2-9. One fine male before me has two spurs on the same level on one leg. I presume this to be a purely accidental monstrosity. The following is a description of the plumage of the adult male :— The frontal plumes, and a narrow streak on the centre of the crown; a narrow band surrounding the bare gular space, and running up to the ear-coverts; these latter and a broad stripe running backwards from them nearly to the occiput, black ; the rest of the head, the whole neck all round, and the upper breast, bright orange maroon, but with a ferruginous tinge in places, owing to the basal portions of the feathers, which are pale ferru- ginous yellow, showing through; the occipital feathers are slightly lengthened, forming a full short crest ; the lesser upper wing-coverts are uniform bright maroon red; the back, rump, scapulars, and median wirg-coverts, and all but the longest upper tail-coverts, much resemble the same parts in melanocephala ; the feathers are black, with numerous narrow, wavy, buffy or fulvous fawn-coloured bars, and near the tip a white spot in the centre surrounded by a dove grey halo and a maroon blotch on each side; the spots being smallest and the maroon lightest on the upper back, and largest and richest in tint on the rump; the longest upper tail-coverts want the rufous and white spots, but are very broadly tipped with greyish white or albescent, having a subterminal rufous quarter-inch bar, and a very narrow terminal black one; the tail is black, the basal three-fifths with very numerous narrow, transverse, irregular, freckled ATA CERIORNIS BLYTHI, JERD. buffy or fulvous fawn bars; the quills and greater primary coverts are similar to the basal portions of the tail ; the whole of the lower breast, abdomen, and vent a pale dove-brown or dove-grey, each feather with an inconspicuous ill-defined some- what paler patch towards the tip; the flanks and sides of the breast are marked like the back; the tibial plumes are more or less ferruginous, interiorly, but exteriorly, are narrowly barred brown and fulvous; the lower tail-coverts are dusky, faintly barred like the quills, broadly tipped with very pale dove-brown, or brownish white, and tinged laterally and at the tips with rufous ; the wing-lining (except the larger lower coverts, which are satin grey) is bright ferruginous, redder towards the tips and yellower towards the bases of the feathers. The female is considerably smaller. Length, 18 to 20; wing, 8°5 to 9; tarsus, 2:9 to 3°1; mid- toe, 2:2 ; its claw, straight, 0-7 ; bill from frontal feathers straight to point, 0-98 ; from gape, 1-4. The ground of the entire mantle is black, each feather very finely, almost microscopically, freckled, chiefly along a broad central band with more or less rufous buff, and with one large, irregular zig-zaggy, somewhat arrowhead-shaped, spot towards the tip; in connection with this spot one or more irregular wavy bars generally go off right and left towards, or to the margins of feathers, which bars are often more ferruginous than the rest of the markings: these spots are most conspi- cuous on the interscapulary region, and almost disappear on the rump and upper tail-coverts where the frecklings on the other hand extend over nearly the whole feather; the tail is blackish brown, thickly set with irregular, mottled, wavy transverse bars of ferruginous and ferruginous buff; the longest upper tail-coverts partake of the deep ferruginous tint of the tail markings; the primaries and secondaries much like the tail, but the ground a shade browner, and the markings less thickly set and nearly confined to the outer webs; the coverts and tertiaries partake of the characters of the mantle, as do the head and back of the neck, though in both these latter the markings are more bar-like and much less conspicuous. The chin and upper throat are greyish creamy ; the feathers margined with greyish brown, and with traces of a spot of this running in almost to the shaft, about half way up the feather ; the rest of the front and sides of the neck and upper-breast in much the same style as the back of the neck and mantle, but the ground brown, the frecklings duller in colour and more diffuse, and the spot only indicated. . The rest of the breast and the abdomen a sort of greyish creamy, thickly set with freckly, imperfect bar-like brown REGULOIDES SUPERCILIOSUS AND HUMII. 475 markings, having a tendency to mark out and define plain patches or spots of the ground colour, towards the tips of the feathers, analogous to the spots on the upper surface. The tibial plumes and some of the vent feathers regularly and closely barred hair-brown and dull buff; the lower tail- coverts brown, rather dark on the terminal one-third, where they are freckled and blotched with ferruginous buff, and with a more or less conspicuous oval, purer buff spot or drov just at the tip. The lower surface of the quills and their greater lower coverts grey brown, with a few pale buff spots or markings on the inner webs at or towards their margins ; the rest of the wing-lining deep brown, profusely spotted with ferruginous buff. From the female of melanocephala it is at once distinguish- ed by the black and buff of the upper surface, so much richer and darker in tone; altogether different from the comparatively grey upper surface of melanocephala. From the female of satyra it equally differs; on the upper surface it is blacker and less ferruginous; on the lower surface it is paler and wholly wants the warm ferruginous buff of that species, which in the present is replaced by greyish creamy. After they have once been seen, unlike the females of the Gadlophasis section of the Euplocami, the females of the several species of Ceriornis can be as easily recognized as the males. The young males show the transition from the female to the male plumage, just as do those of melanocephala and satyra. AV Os Te Kurther obserdations on Arequloides superciliosus and Aegue Loides Humii, also on Reguloides subviridis and Calliope pentmani, Cristran. By W. Epwin Brooks. I HAVE lately had a few opportunities of hearing the note of Reguloides supereciliosus, and it is as distinct as possible from that of A. humw. It is a rather loud and distinct shrill “twee ;”? something intermediate between the “chink” of the Chaffinch and the common note of the Yellow Wagtail, (Budytes rayi) will give an idea of the note, except that its note is not nearly so loud as those of the two birds above mentioned. Now the note of Reguloides humit is a truly Phylloscopine “ tis-yip,”’ as Blyth calls it, similar to that of the Willow Wren (2. trochi- lus), but much shriller, and I think louder. 476 FURTHER OBSERVATIONS ON REGULOIDES I had three most excellent opportunities of making quite sure about the very distinct note of Reguloides superciliosus, as I had the bird in each case alone in a rather thinly-foliaged tree, each time I saw the bird most distinctly as it fed from one tuft of leaves to another, and I heard it call repeatedly before I shot it. In addition to its ordinary call, Reg. humu has a double note, rather like a rapid double repetition of the call. This it some- times utters in the plains during the cold weather, and in its Himalayan breeding haunts, the double note is constantly heard. Any one accustomed to the notes of this little bird can make perfectly sure of the species before shooting it, and the same may be said of the peculiar “twee” of Reguloides superciliosus. All the Willow Wrens with which I am acquainted—and as a whole I have observed them as much as any one—have remark- ably distinct or different notes. There is no difficulty whatever in procuring the bird you wish from the note alone. Having notes utterly distinct, and having, as formerly pointed out, distinct characteristics in plumage and colour of soft parts, I think the question of the distinctness of Reguloides superci- liosus and Reguloides humiiisa settled one; no matter how closely they may be thought to resemble each other. In faded plumage there is much resemblance, but even then, the yellow lower mandible, and pale legs and feet of superciliosus, are a sufficient guide. As far as colour is concerned, the greenest Phylloscopus can fade to an ash grey. I have seen the deep olive green of P. afinis and its yellow lower parts all gone, and only a little yellow remaining on the supercilium. So it is easy to see that comparisons, to be of any real value, should be made with fresh autumnal birds. This { have done. The lower mandible of R. humii, I should have observed, is of a dull whitish brown, and the feet are dark brown, like a Chiff-chaff’s. Reguloides superciliosus is a rather scarce bird here; and you may shoot forty hum while you get one superciliosus in places where both occur. The longitudinal range of #. humi must be extended much more to the east than we at first supposed. I heard it twice close to Calcutta, and also at Burdwan, which is 66 miles to the north-west of Calcutta. At Muddapur, where I live at present, 183 miles north-west of Calcutta, and not far from the longitude of Monnt Everest, it is a most abundant bird—even more so I think than it is in the North- West Provinces of India. Down here, the birds are not quite so rufous or fulvous about the head, but they have the identical peculiar notes. Some collected here in early autumn have very dark heads, as dark as in Phylloscopus lugudris; the top of SUPERCILIOSUS AND REGULOIDES HUMII, &c. 477 the head having dark blackish olive immediately adjoining the supercilium. This extends to the nape of the neck, leaving a distinct greenish grey coronal streak between the dark bands. I have shot some here with dark heads, although they fall short of Shillong examples in this respect. There is, however, no difference of note, but absolute identity in this respect. I, therefore, think the dark birds cannot well be separated speci- fically from the rest, although we never see a dark bird from the North-West. If the dark-headed bird were held to be distinct, it would be impossible to say where one began and the other ended. Even in new feather, no dark-headed bird is seen in the North-West. Young greenish birds from both dis- tricts perfectly accord. When speaking of the note of R. superciliosus, I forgot to say that itis more like that of Reguloides subviridis, except that the latter’s is a distinctly double note, while that of super- ciliosus is single, and much louder. I have lately been shown April examples of Reg. subviridis, obtained at Gilgit in the north part of Cashmere. Where this obscure little bird goes to breed is yet unknown. It is as much a western or north-western species in India as super- ciliosus is eastern ; and I don’t think it would be procured further east than Allahabad. This species is not well known, and as one of my friends, in spite of what I have written, suggests that it is the young of Reguloides humitz, a brief notice of it here will not, perhaps, be out of place. It is like a pale-toned Reguloides proregulus, without the yellow rump patch, with brighter yellow about the head, and with the same distinctly defined dull yellowish coronal streak. By “distinctly defined,” I mean that the edges of this central head stripe contrast abruptly with the other colour of the top of head, and are not blended into it as in the cases of superciliosus, humit, erochroa, and others. The coronal streak of maculipennis is of the proregulus distinct class. The distinct coronal streak of subviridis, as well as the distinct tone of plumage, and its most thoroughly distinct voice, yellow bill below, and paler legs and feet, amply serve to distinguish it from Reg. humii. The absence of the yellow rump separates it from R. proregulus. The Reguloides, of which I have spoken, after all, don’t resemble each other so closely as some of the Hypolais and Acrocephali do. The Larks and Pipits, too, are much more difficult to those who don’t know them well. There is a great tendency now-a-days to unite birds that differ to the utter destruction of ornithological science. Its chief charm lies in the closely-affined species, This lumping system is even worse than making bad species; and speaking 478 FURTHER OBSERVATIONS ON REGULOIDES SUPERCILIOSUS, &C. of bad species puts me in mind that Calliope yeatmani must be suppressed.* I have an accurate drawing of the type, and I shot near Calcutta a young bird most perfectly according, especially in propor tion of wing primaries, with the type in Canon Tris- tram’s Museum. It has one red feather coming on the throat. To return to the subject—Observation of the birds in life is a great assistance, and home observers, with only dry skins before them, must not make too sure when their conclusions are at variance with the observations of the men who know the birds and hear them as well as see them. The colour of the soft parts in Reguloides is of great use, especially late in the season, when they are much faded in plumage. In describing Reguloides subviridis, I |aid great stress upon its peculiar note, and its very clear coronal streak. The coronal streak of R. humii is often invisible. Since the foregoing observations were written, I have had the pleasure, thanks to the Editor’s kindness, of examining a col- lection of Phylloscopi and Segulotides made at Moulmein in British Burmah. There were 40 Reguloides of this type, and every one of them was szperciliosus, so it must be a rather abundant bird there in the cold season. The whole 40 were so thoroughly characteristic that not a single one could possibly be mistaken for any other species. To the points of specific differ- ence from Reguloides humii that I have formerly pointed out, must be added the bright sulphur yellow axillaries of superciliosus. To recapitulate: The bright green upper surface, the silky white lower surface (as in P. sibilatriz), the blacker wings and tail, causing the light edgings of tertials and wing bars to contrast very strongly, and the distinct double wing bar against the single one, as a rule, of &. humi mark Reguloides superciliosus. When newly killed, we have the additional strong points of the yellow lower mandible of the bill, and the pale legs and feet. These latter characteristics can be seen frequently even in the dry skin. In very old skins dark legs and feet often become quite pale, and I have known pale legs and feet sometimes dry, very dark; indeed legs and feet of precisely the same colour when fresh, are at times of very different tints when dry. This should be borne in mind by those who find now and then dark legs and feet where they should be pale. Strong as all the characteristic points regarding colour are in Reg. superciliosus, all idea of identity vanishes when once its very distinct note is heard. I could now procure this species by its note as certainly as I could find any of our most familiar favourites. * As I told you when Dr. Tristram described it.—Ep. 479 Gleanings from the Calcutta Sarket. I po not know what I should do in Calcutta, tied as I am to the desk, and scarcely ever able to get away far enough to find any decent shooting, if I had not the dear old market to fall back upon. Itis not handsome—its warmest admirers cannot pretend that it is ; it is all points and angles, cross questions and crooked answers, a thing of quips and querks, like that rumbustical, talkative, argumentative Municipal Committee that manages, or as some think, mismanage it ; but still it is the one place, where daily hundreds, sometimes thousands, of wild birds, dead and alive, are brought to help fill the craving maw of India’s Metro- polis, and where priceless specimens that may be searched for vainly elsewhere throughout a lifetime, are, every now and then, turning up. To me the market is as good as is the twelve million francs lottery, now just drawn or drawing, to the Parisian. It is a never-ending source of pleasing but innocuous excitement. Every morning, just at daylight, I am at the market; each day, I say, now I am going to make a great hit to-day. Gene- rally I am disappointed, but then one can’t always be in luck, better luck to-morrow, and so on; and just often enough to keep up one’s interest one does get a good bird, and once in a way a veryrare and valuable one, and there is always the hope and the chance that one may get something even better than one has ever got before, and the morning’s chance is something to think of, as one falls asleep at night ; something to encourage one to turn out of bed an hour before daylight; something outside the perpetual grind of the official mill; a case not tied up in red tape; a matter in which one can really take an interest, as one can manage it properly and in one’s own way without the interference of half a dozen other people who know nothing about it. This-is, in this respect, a delightful contrast to all one’s official work. The fundamental principle, as is well known, of all public administration is to get hold of a man for a par- ticular work, who knows something about it, and then to put him under some other man or men, who know nothing about it, but who, conscientiously anxious to earn their pay, “ meddle and muddle” in every case, and loyally take care that nothing is done. The safe man, always the favorite of Government, is the man safe todo nothing because he has no ideas, and it is the D1 480 GLEANINGS FROM THE CALCUTTA MARKET, safe men, who are always put over the unsafe fellows who have ideas, and might, if not properly sat upon, do something, some fine day, and of course “ruin the Empire.” If you know nothing about a subject you have a good chance of being put to direct, and control other people who do; but if you really understand any branch, you are certain to have some one, who knows nothing about it, placed over you, to prevent your rashly utilizing your knowledge. Cela devient ennuyant, and so even such a little business, as spotting rare birdsin a market and securing them then and there, becomes interesting. If I went down to the market on account of any Government, and found, say, a Macrorhamphus or Pseudoscolopax semipalmatus, and recommended its purchase for four annas, I should first be told that it was too dear ; - second, that it was not wanted; third, that I had better purchase three Nettapus coromandelianus (a bigger and much handsomer bird) at a rupee a piece. It would be no use my urging that the P. semipalmatus was an excessively rare and valuable bird that would be cheap at a gold mohur, and that the Cotton Teal per contra was one of the commonest of birds and quite worthless for our purposes. A. B. would see no - reason to modify his opinion, and P. Q. would add their initials and quite concur. But then luckily the Treasury would have to be consulted, and they, “in the face of the exist- ing financial pressure’ (and of course there is always a finan- cial pressure when you ask Government for money), would regret their inability to sanction the Rs. 3, and soit would come all right after all, for nothing would be done. Under such a dispensation, one would cease, after a cer- tain number of years, to take any very vivid interest in going to the bazaar. Luckily complex as our administration, especially our municipal administration is, and interfering as it does with most things on earth, and in the heavens above the earth, and the waters under the earth, it still leaves one free to exercise common sense and skilled knowledge in bazaar pur- chases, and so year after year an unflagoing interest in this tiny piece of relaxation is maintained. [have for many years now steadily attended the market whenever I have been in Calcutta; and I think it may be useful to make a few remarks on the species that I have noticed there. This market, too, is really a remarkable one; it is not like Leadenhall, fed by half a continent. All we see in it—I mean of course in the way of birds and game—has been procured within a radius of 25 miles, the great mass of the birds within 10 miles from the stalls where they are sold; yet two GLEANINGS FROM THE CALCUTTA MARKET. 481 and three thousand birds will come in some mornings dur- ing the cold season ; and here Blyth and I have met with many of the rarest birds—birds that have never or scarcely ever been obtained elsewhere in India. Here Blyth obtained the only specimens of Ardea goliat, ever procured in India, almost the only Phalaropus fulicarius, the only Querquedula formosa, the second Pseudoscolopax semipalmatus. Here I procured three! more of these latter—a splendid male of Querquedula faleata— another of Q. angustirostris—an LHurynorhynchus pygmeus, and other good, though not quite such rare, birds as these. There is scarcely a less likely looking locality than the 1,500 odd square miles, whence these rarities have been drawn ; - densely populated, devoid of all special physical attractions ; but it is steadily and exhaustively worked, and hence the results. Pro- bably there are scarcely any 1,500 square miles in the whole empire that if equally exhaustively worked would not yield more. People write continually saying, I am in such a bad place for birds, what can I do here, &c., &c., the fact being that there is no single spotin India where an ornithologist, if he will only work hard and steadily, may not get lots of good birds and add materially to our knowledge of the distribution of species. The market, of course, chiefly depends for its supplies on seasonal visitants, and it is only from November to the end of April that it is much worth visiting. During one hot season that I remained in Calcutta, I found ‘the market generally very bare, scarcely anything being brought there but Cotton and Whistling Teal and Water Pheasants ; though an occasional Snipe, Snipet and Plover or Duck, that for some reason had not migrated, now and then appeared. Tshall treat of the market as it appears from December to March. And here the first thing that strikes one is, what wonderful things some people in Calcutta, beguiled by their khansamahs, do eat, They do draw the line at Vultures; there was a miserable dragele-plumaged, broken-winged Gyps indicus there one day. “How much?” said I to the stall- keeper. To my astonish- ment he replied, “ This, sir, is noé good to eat.” But Little Cormorants, Gulls, Terns, Paddy-birds, Herons, Pelican Ibis, and almost every shore and water bird, including Water Pheasants, are bought freely by the khansamah jee’s and cooked for and eaten by some body. Some rudimentary conception of the shape of birds’ bills and legs would be useful to people in Calcutta. I was dining out one > day and saw a dish of unmistakeable “ Did-he-do-it’s” handed round as Pigeons. Another time, quite recently, a lot 482 GLEANINGS FROM THE CALCUTTA MARKET, of Actitis glareola (worth about 1 anna a piece) were brought as snipe. “Hullo,” I said, “those aint snipe” (snipe being worth 4 annas a piece). “Snipe hei?’ said my host. “ Han, Saheb, esnipe hei,” said the butler. ‘“ Yes, it’s all right, he says they are snipe, and he knows !”’ What bird a Pelican Ibis or Coromandel Shell-eater can do duty for, I cannot say—Geese perhaps ; but I have several times seen them bought by khansamahs for 6 to 10 annas each, when Geese were at a rupee or more. Of course common Quail, as well as the blue-breasted ; heaps of Wagtails, Pipits of sorts, short-toed Larks and the like, (all of which are Ortolans be it understood), besides Crow Phea- sants, Kingfishers, and all kinds of miscellaneous birds are seen — from time to time ; even a Brahminy Kite was sold before me the other day with two Paddy-birds to a swell butler, who doubtless duly served it up as “ Game” to some one. But it seems needless to enumerate all these, as the chief interest attaches to the shore and water birds, which constitute nine-tenth or more of the supplies. Four species vastly exceed in numbers all others during the cold season; these are Cotton Teal, Snipe, Common and Pintail, and the spotted Sand Piper (Actitis glareola). Itis very diffi- cult to estimate such a thing, but I have guessed that during the moonlit half of the month, some 200 of each of these are brought in as an average daily. During the dark half of the month much fewer come in—the birds are mostly netted; and they cannot work the nets as successfully on dark nights, and on cloudy foggy nights they often catch next to nothing. I will enumerate now all the species of shore and water birds that occur in the market, including one or two that Blyth got, but which I have never yet met with. 842.—Glareola orientalis, Leach. Very rare; I have only twice, I think, seen it brought into the market. : 843.—Glareola lactea, Tem. Occasionally half a dozen or so. 844.—Squatarola helvetica, Lin. I don’t think that on an average above eight or ten come in during the whole season, but I once saw over fifty. 845.—Charadrius fulvus, Gm. In the early part of the cold weather, and again towards the end of the spring, these are brought in in enormous numbers. GLEANINGS FROM THE CALCUTTA MARKET, 483 During the greater. part of the cold season they are brought in almost daily, but only in small bunches. I find that on the 26th of April, I noted “enormous numbers of Golden Plover, all in full breeding plumage are still coming in;’’ but after the first week in May they had altogether disappeared. Where these birds breed is still a puzzle. I have watched them in several parts of the country, Blewitt in others, the Khan Saheb in others, Cripps in others, &c., &c.; in every case this species, after assuming the full breeding plumage, has disappear- ed before the 15th May, generally by the lst May. We have eggs, supposed to be theirs, though I think this doubtful, from the Mekran Coast. But allthe millions that throng our Indian meadows and uplands don’t go to the Mekran Coast to breed we may be sure. Do any really breed anywhere in India, or in the Indian portion of the Himalayas? 846.— Agialitis geoffroyi, Wagler. This is only very rarely brought into the market. 847, 848, 849.—. mongola, cantiana, dubia. A few of each at least every other day. 4. minuta I have never met with in Calcutta. 854.— Chettusia cinerea, Blyth. These are brought in occasionally, chiefly during the early part of the season. The seasons, too, vary; some years this species comes in, in numbers, while in others very few are seen. 855.—Lobivanellus indicus, Bodd, and 857.—Hoplopterus ventralis, Cuv. : Are both often brought in, but in much smaller numbers on the whole than the preceding. 858.—Hsacus recurvirostris, Cuv., and 859.—Cidicnemus scolo« pax, S. G. Gm. Both extremely rare. Some years none are brought, and probably 10 or 12 of each are the greatest number ever brought in during one season. 860.—Strepsilas interpres, Lin. Blyth got this in the Calcutta Bazaar. I have looked for it for years in vain. 867.—Scolopax rusticola, Lin. I saw one specimen in the Calcutta market many years ago in the first week of November. I have never seen another there. 870 & 871.—Gallinago sthenura, Kuhl, and gallinaria, Lin. Of both species large numbers are brought in daily. Taking the season through, I believe that about as many come of one 484 GLEANINGS FROM THE CALCUTTA MARKET. species as of the other. But they come in very capriciously ; some days there will be nothing but Pintails, another day they are all common Snipe. The Snipe seem generally well in by the 1st November, and right up to the end of April a considerable number are generally to be seen, but after the Ist of May very few indeed are seen, and in some years the majority have dis- appeared by the 15th April. 872.—Gallinago gallinula, Lin. A few, almost every day during the cold season. 873.—Rhynchea bengalensis, Lin. a A few of these (rarely above 20 on any one day, usually about 4a dozen) are brought in almost daily throughout the year, 874.—Macroramphus semipalmatus, Jerd. This bird is still amongst our rarest. Jerdon obtained one speci- men of it, the type, in the Madras market. Blyth, one in that of Calcutta on the 12th December 1847, while Mr. Oates says he got two specimens in Pegu. I know of no other instances of this bird being obtained within our limits (it-has been met with in Dauria, Mongolia, Siberia, China and Japan) until I was lucky enough to meet with three specimens in the market on the 13th December 1878—thirty-one years and one day after Blyth got his. They were captured in an ordinary snipe net about 13 miles south-east of Calcutta. So little is known about this species that a rather full des- cription, with measurements, will be, I think, useful. The speci- mens were two females and one male. There appears in this case (unlike that of the Godwits) to be no difference in the size of the sexes. The following are the dimensions, &., of my three speci- mens :—~ Female. Male. Female. Length 000 p00 ow. 13:0 133 13'3 Eixpanse ae tee ve 225 23:0 23°5 Wing see ee a ido 6:8 PL Tail from vent 000 eco oo 26 24 25 Tarsus G00 vee 21 2:0 2:2 Mid toe and claw... eee Ae a es 1:58 1-48 Hind toe and claw AAs we. «=—0'58 06 06 Bill at front from margin of feathers ... 2°88 3°15 3°12 Bill from gape ... 300 we «=. 8D. a1 3:07 Height of both mandibles—at base, at . margin of feathers aa ok 45 0°45 0:47 Bare portion of tibia ea erie 12 1:32 Weight eee te 3'9 ozs, 40028. 41 ozs. Wings when closed reach 0:2 beyond end of tail; first quill longest, second a trifle shorter—elongated tertials nearly equal to third quill; outer toe, to second joint, connected by a web GLEANINGS FROM THE CALCUTTA MARKET. 485 to half way between first and second joint of mid toe; mid toe from between first and second joint, connected by a web to first joint of inner toe; hind toe long, thin, free, considerably raised above sole; a conspicuous groove on each side of bill from fore- head over nares, almost to point; point of bill much dilated, not showing reticulations or pittings in the fresh specimen, but with a conspicuous central groove; inner surface of upper man- dible or palate, with a double row of sharp thorn-like, recurved papille.* Tongue long, simple, sharp-pointed and membrane- ous towards tip. Bill deep brown, pinkish fleshy towards base of lower man- dible; legs and feet pure dull lead colour, a little dusky at joint and in some specimens on toes; claws deep brown; irides deep brown; the lower wing-coverts are much developed, the greater ones of the hinder secondaries being almost as long as the quills themselves. A conspicuous dark line from the eye to the nostrils; a broad not very regular dull white or brownish white band above this line, extending backwards, diminished in breadth as a supercilium ; the chin, cheeks, throat and front and sides of neck white, with a brownish tinge, thickly streaked longitudi- nally with little brown lines, short and more or less speck-like about chin, throat and face, longer, broader, more pronounced lower down ; the few last feathers, at the base of the neck on sides and at front, with traces of arrowhead, subterminal brown bars; the feathers at the extreme sides of the breast with these well marked. The breast, abdomen, sides, flanks, vent, lower tail-coverts, tibial plumes, axillaries, and wing-lining, in some specimens all pure white and unmarked, in others with a few spots, traces of obsolete bars, on some of the feathers of the sides, flanks and lower tail-coverts. The variation in the amount of barring at the base of the neck, on the extreme sides of the breast and elsewhere, is pro- bably seasonal. The lesser lower coverts everywhere just inside the edge of the wing, brown centred. The forehead between the dull white bands, the crown and occiput, moderately dark, slightly sooty, brown, with just a trace of paler margins to the feathers. The nape, back of neck and interscapulary region similar, but the brown somewhat lighter, and the pale brown margins to the feathers more conspicuous; the scapulars similar, but most of them rather darker ; the lesser wing-coverts generally * This also characterizes Totanus haughtoni. 486 GLEANINGS FROM THE CALCUTTA MARKET. decidedly darker, with the pale margins obsolete or nearly so, while in the median coverts these are more conspicuous and white or nearly so; the winglet and primary greater coverts very dark brown ; the coverts, more especially the hinder ones, tipped white; the rest of the greater coverts a lighter brown, often greyer, tipped, margined, and more or less imperfectly barred towards the tips with pure white, most conspicuously so on the inner webs; the earliest primaries deep brown, grow- ing less deep as they recede towards the secondaries, which are a rather light, in some birds decidedly grey, brown; all the quills with much white and white mottling on the inner webs, the amount of which increases as the feathers recede from the outside of the wing; all but the first five or six primaries more or less conspicuously margined, often in a mottled fashion, on the outer web, and at the tips also, with white; the secon- Garies more strongly so, and these and the later primaries, with more or less of a mottled white shaft streak. The rump and upper tail-coverts white, conspicuously barred with black, the terminal bar more or less following the curve of the feather; the tail feathers white, with regular, rather broad, transverse blackish brown and black bars; the central feathers always, the next one or two pairs often, and sometimes nearly the whole tail, with an ashy brown shade over the whole terminal portions of the feather alike over white and black, both of which it obscures and dulls. As already mentioned this species has been met with in North- ern Asia, and China and Japan ; in the two latter during the cold season ; in the former during the summer. Those obtained in the summer in breeding plumage had the whole heads, necks and breasts rufous, and were tinged with this colour above; in fact were in a dress that bore much the same relation to their winter plumage that the summer plumages of Tringa subar- quata or Limosa egocephala does to their winter garbs. Although this species has been met with elsewhere, as already noticed, it appears to be quite as rare in those countries as in India, and I am inclined to suspect that it is an old and vanish- ing species. 875.—Limosa egocephala, Lin. A good many are brought into the market, especially about the commencement and close of the cold season. During the coldest portion, 15th December to 15th February, you do not see half a dozen. 876.— Terekia cinerea, Giild, Once only have I seen this species in the market, and then an entire flock, fully fifty, had been netted. GLEANINGS FROM THE CALCUTTA MARKET. 487 877.—Numenius lineatus, Cuv. This is another species plentiful at the end, pretty common at the beginning, but rare during the middle of the cold weather. During March and the early part of April considerable numbers are usually brought in. 878.—Numenius pheopus, Lin. Rare ; two or three at most during the whole season. Some years none. 880.—Machetes pugnax, Lin. Rather common, a few daily ; large numbers at the commence- ment and close of the season. 882—885.—Tringa subarquata, alpina, minuta, rujicollis (da- macensis) and temminckt. All these are pretty common—minuta and rujicollis come in about equal numbers. Subarquata is here much more common than alpina, whereas up-country, except at the season of migration, it is almost exclusively alpina that occurs. 886.—Limicola platyrhyncha, Tem. Rare. Ihave ovly met with this species perhaps six times in as many seaSons during which I have attended the market. 887.—Lurynorhynchus pygmeus, Lin. Once only have I known of this species occurring. 889.—-Phalaropus fulicarius, Zin. Blyth obtained one specimen in winter dress on the 11th May 1846 in this market. I know of no other instance of its occurrence within our limits. I wish to remark here that I formerly certainly made a mis- take about this species. Happening to obtain a single specimen in the open sea between Gwader and Muscat, and seeing num- bers apparently identical, and being told that they were always seen in numbers in those parts, I said, S. F., I, 245 :— “It is, however, as I ascertained, a recular and well-known visitor to the seas that wash the Sindh and Mekran Coasts, and I myself again observed it in the open sea between Kurrachee and Bombay.” . Subsequent experience leads me now to believe that all or most of the flocks I saw, and the birds that my informants refer- red to, were Lobipes hyperboreus and not the present species. At least twenty specimens have been shot and sent to me by dif- ferent persons from these localities; all have, without exception, belonged to hyperdoreus, and no other specimen of fulicarius has been obtained. 62 488 GLEANINGS FROM THE CALCUTTA MARKET. The question remains: Can I have made a mistake about that one specimen? I recorded its dimensions and description on board the “ Amberwitch,” and after that it was in some way mis- laid, and no specimen of fulicarius is forthcoming. It isnot — likely that I should have made such a mistake, since my re- marks on page 247 show clearly that I thoroughly understood even then the marked structural difference between the two forms. Still the specimen is not forthcoming, and every other specimen since obtained has been Ayperdoreus, so that, even if I was correct in my identification, fulicarius can only be a rare straggler to those parts, it being Lobipes hyperboreus, and not Phalaropus fulicarius, that is the regular and well-known visi- tant to the upper part of the Indian Ocean, and the Gulfs of Oman and Persia. | 891.—Rhyacophila glareola, Lin. This species is one of the pitces de résistance of the market. I find, on the 20th of October, a note “al- ready piles of the Spotted Sand Piper,” and again on 26th April “still numbers of glareola.” Certainly not less than 10,000 of this bird, and I estimate nearer 15,000, are sold in this market every season. It is quite acommon thing to see upwards of 200, (though you may in bad dark weather see only a score or two), and more than once that I have had assistance in counting we have counted over 500. Where do they all come from year after year? No doubt the supply is somewhat di- minishing ; this I can plainly notice, and the exertions necessary to secure what is brought in have, the people tell me, been mul- - tiplied many fold. Still, considering the limited area worked, as also the fact that it is densely populated, and presents no special attractions, quite the contrary, to wild birds, the immense numbers of this and other species brought in are astounding. 892—897.—Totanus ochrophus, glottis, stagnatilis, fuscus, calidris and Tringoides hypoleucus. All occur pretty commonly; calidris, however, is by far the most common; scarcely a morning that from 5 to 50 are not seen. Next, but less common, is glottis; less common still is stagnatilis. As for fuscus and hypo- leucus, though you could not call them rare, still you would probably not see them on the average above once in ten days. Strange this, considering how much more common elsewhere hypoleucus is than all the rest. 894 b1s.—Pseudototanus haughtoni, Armstr. Once, and once only, have I met with this species in the Calcutta Bazaar. GLEANINGS FROM THE CALCUTTA MARKET. 489 T am quite convinced, now that this must be generically sepa- rated from Totanus, and the shape of the bill is so different that it cannot be placed in Pseudoscolopaz. I, therefore, propose the above generic name for it. I have already, S. F., IV, 347, fully characterized the genus, and I have only to add to the characters there given, “ Palate with a double row of recurved horny papille.”’ 898.—Himantopus candidus, Bon, Brought in occasionally, perhaps once a week on the average. 899.—Recurvirostra avocetta, Lin. Very rarely brought into the market, perhaps on an average three or four times in the season, and this generally about March. 900.—Parra indica, Lath. A few come in weekly. 901.—Hydrophasianus chirurgus, Scop. Great numbers of these are brought in. Excluding the four species already indicated as occurring ia the greatest numbers, the present furnishes the next largest contingent, from 20 to 100 daily, all through the cold weather, and a smaller number during the rest of the year. The bird is common no doubt, but one never sees it in very large flocks, and it is surprising how they manage to go on capturing, day after day and year after year, such large numbers of this species. 902.—Porphyrio poliocephalus, Lath. Are all brought in 903.—Fulica atra, Lin. from time to time, and 905.— Gallinula chloropus, Lin. can neither be said to 907.—Erythra phenicura, Pen. be rare or common. 904.—Gallicrea cinereus, Gm. ‘) All rare, but each 908.—Porzana akool, Sykes. and all are to be seen 909.—Porzana maruetta, Leach. from six to a dozen 910.—Porzana bailloni, Vieill. }times during most 911.—Porzana fusca, Lin. seasons. Of these, 913.—Hypotenidia striata, Lin. akool is the rarest, fus- 914.—fallus indicus, Bly. J ca the most common. I have seen both species of Adjutant, the Jabiru, and both the White and White-necked Stork (Dissura episcopa), now and again in the market; not once every season even, but now and again. The Adjutants were alive; in all cases birds that had injured themselves, and were caught and sold to natives who wished to keep them in their gardens. The others also gene- rally alive, and purchased for aviaries and menageries, but occa- sionally dead and then sold for food! 490 GLEANINGS FROM THE CALCUTTA MARKET. 921.—Ardea goliat, Tem, Several specimens of this species were obtained in the Calcutta Bazaar in 1845-46 by Blyth. But from that day to this no further trace of the species has ever, to the best of my belief, been obtained* in Calcutta or anywhere else in the Empire. It is one of the very few species unrepresented in our museum by Indian-killed specimens. There is a mystery about Blyth’s specimens. I have shown them to every fowler employed in supplying the market, but no one admits ever having seen the like, and several of these fowlers have been 40 years at the trade. I have offered a, to them, enormous reward for a specimen, but as yet without success. I cannot understand how, in 1845-46, they were so plenti- — ful and thenceforth utterly disappeared. They must be local in their distribution, and probably come only to some one locality worked in 1845-46 by some men who died thereafter, and not now known to or worked by other Shikarees. I have been at work for years to get specimens of the species and learn something about their distribution, habits, &., but I can get nothing and learn nothing, and no person, I believe, has ever certainly seen, let alone shot any (since Blyth bought these birds in the bazaar) anywhere in the whole Empire. ‘| months not a Heron 927.—Herodias (/) garzetta, Lin. is brought, and then 929.— Bubulcus coromandus, Bodd. | again for a while one 930.—Ardeola grayt, Sykes. or two come in every J day or nearly so. ) Except cinnamo- mea, which breeds free- ly all about Calcutta, and which is brought 931.— Butorides javanica, Horsf. in twenty times at 932.—Ardetta flavicollis, Lath. least every season, all 933.—Ardetta cinnamomea, Gm. Ec rest are rare; 935.—Ardetta sinensis, Gm. the Bittern, I have 936.—Botaurus stellaris, Lin. only seen twice, and the Black and Yellow Bitterns are not seen above once or twice J in a season. * See however S. F., I., 105. GLEANINGS FROM THE CALCUTTA MARKET. 491 Each and all of these I have seen occasionally. They may be seen twice or three times one 937.—Nycticorax griseus, Lin. 938.—Tantalus leucocephalus, Forst. 939.—Platalea leucorodia, Lin. 940.—Anastomus oscitans, Bodd. ryear, not at all the 941.—Ibis melanocephala, Lath. next. I don’t think 943.—Faleinellus igneus, S. G. Gm. I have seen any one 944.—Phoenicopterus antiquorum, Tem. | of them more than a dozen times in half Jj as many years. 945.—Anser cinereus, Meyer. 949,.—Anser indicus, Lath. These are the only Geese that I have ever seen in the market. They are about equally common. On the average, I should say, that not more than one of each is brought in per week. Sometimes a whole month passes without one being seen, and then several are brought, but I should guess that from 60 to 70 of each come in during the cold season. 950.—Sarcidiornis melanonotus, Penn. This is perhaps rarer than the two preceding. I should say that about 20 to 30 altogether come in during the cold season ; but during the rains more are said to be captured. 951.—Wettopus coromandelianus, Gm. Right through the year, summer and winter, this little Goose or Cotton Teal abounds in the market. In number, even in January, it exceeds that of all the other Ducks put together. Two or three hundred is not at all an uncommon number to come in, in one morning. I have known over 500 to be brought. Where all these birds come from is, in this case also, a perfect mystery to me. The limits within which the people assure me that all their birds are captured (very few are shot) cannot, it seems to me, supply the requisite number of a resident species like this. In the case of migratory species, it matters less ; you may clear off one area this year, but next year a new set of migrants will restock it ; but in the case of a non-migra- tory species, I cannot understand how persecution like this (fully 20,000 must be caught during the year) does not exter- minate it. Of this, however, I see no signs. It is ten years since I first began to watch this market ; I notice a manifest falling off in the numbers of the migratory Ducks, none in those of the Cotton Teal. 492 GLEANINGS FROM THE CALCUTTA MARKET. 952.—Dendrocygna javanica, Horsf. This Duck stands high in the list as regards commoness ; but though as many as 40 or even 50 may be seen in the market some mornings, I doubt whether more than 1,000 come in during the whole year. 953.—Dendrocygna fulva, Gm. Although this is not rare, I do not suppose that much above 100 come in during the whole year. 954.—Casarca rutila, Pall. Rare—perhaps forty are brought in during the season; some years more, some less. 956.— Tadorna cornuta, S. G. Gm. Very rare. I have only seen this species three or four times in the market, and only in March and April. 957.—Spatula clypeata, Lin. Pretty common ; in fact during the cold season, one or more (sometimes a dozen) are generally to be seen each morning. They are barely edible according to my ideas. 958.—Anas boschas, Lin. Very rare. Blyth was not aware of its occurrence, but I have twice procured ducks, no drake as yet. 959.—Anas pecilorhyncha, Gm. A pair or so come in occasionally. Sometimes a dozen may be seen, but they are not common, and I dare sav an estimate of 200 for the season would be rather above than below the facts. 960.—Anas caryophyllacea, Lath. So far as my experience of many years goes, this is an ex- tremely rare Duck in the Calcutta market. Mr. Wood-Mason and others (none of whom, however, I believe, ever visit the market themselves) have assured me that it is common there. I can only say that during six seasons I have seen only five of these Ducks, and all of them with their throats cut and other- wise so mangled as to be useless. There is something odd about this Duck. It must be common somewhere, but where, I have failed to discover. Blyth says “India generally ; not migratory; Burma; noé very common in lower Bengal.’’ Jerdon says, “ Most common in parts of Bengal, but is found at times throughout Northern India; is rare in the North-West Provinces, and still more so in Central and Southern India.”’ GLEANINGS FROM THE CALCUTTA MARKET. 493 Now except in Goruckpoor and Bustee, it occurs nowhere to the best of my belief in Northern India, z.e., in the North-West Provinces, Central Provinces, Punjaub, Rajpootana, Sindh, Central India or Bombay. In Oudh, as in Goruckpoor and Bustee, it appears, but apparently only as a rather uncommon migrant. In the southern part of the Purneah district it appears at one season of the yearin small numbers. No one that I can meet with knows where it is common or has taken its eggs. I have enquired about the Howrah, Jessore, Dacca, Furreedpoor, Sylhet districts. The same story everywhere, “‘ nowhere common,” “ very scarce here,” &e. Can any one help me to the home of this species? It appears to be unknown in Tenasserim and scarce in Upper Burma, and either absolutely wanting or uncommon in every part of India. It does not extend to China or, so far as I know, Central Asia or Siberia. Itis migratory in an eminent degree, but its migra- tions are confined apparently within the limits of the Empire, and I may say the eastern half of the Empire. I have it from the Pulicat lake and from near Lucknow, but I don’t think it goes much west of the 80° E. Long. 961.—Chaulelasmus streperus, Lin. 962.—Dajila acuta, Lin. 967.—Fuligula rujina, Pall. 969.—Fuligula nyroca, Giild. These are the commonest Ducks in the market, and though a less number of each of them may come in taking the whole year round than of Dendrocygna javanica, they all outnumber this during the.cold season. It must have been a bad night, indeed, in which half a dozen of each have not been brought to bag, and when the moon is about full, ten times this number of each may be seen in the morning market. Probably about twice as many 2yroca come in as of streperus, and three times as many as of rujina or acuta. 961 b¢s.—Chaulelasmus angustirostris, Ménéér. On the 19th December, what should I hit upon in a batch of Teal, just coming in from a swamp some 22 miles south- west of Calcutta, but a fine male of QUERQUEDULA ANGUSTIROS- TRIS, the Marbled Duck! This upsets one’s ideas altogether about distribution. Up to 1872 it was not known to occur eastwards of Egypt and the Mediterranean littoral. In that year I discovered it in Sindh and announced its occurrence there. Laterin 18631 heard of its being found in Northern Guzerat. 494 GLEANINGS FROM THE CALCUTTA MARKET. In 1875 (S. F., IIL, 273) the late Mr. Anderson announced its occurrence in Futteheurh (North-West Provinces) and in Hurdui, in Oudh, and now here we have it actually close to Calcutta. 963.—Mareca penelope, Lin. A specimen or two occasionally—perhaps fifty during the season—never more; at times, I dare say, less. 964.—Querquedula crecca, Lin. Comparatively scarce—some mornings a few may be seen, but probably not above one to ten of 965.— Querquedula circia, Lin. _ The Blue-winged Teal, which is always pretty plentiful, from early in October to late in April, though most numerous from December to March. 966.—Querquedula formosa, Georgi. It was in this Calcutta Bazaar that Blyth, in 1844, obtained the only specimen of Q. formosa, Georgi, ever yet, so far as I know, preserved within our limits. I say preserved, because several correspondents profess to have heard, seen and shot them, but, as I always tell them, I will accept this when they send mea specimen and not before. Strickland, I think, used to say, “ What’s hit is history; what’s missed is mystery,” but I go further, and only acknowledge in the case of most Indian sportsman, as history, species of which specimens have been preserved. The only decently-authenticated record of the occurrence of this species in India, since 1844, is one by Mr. E. James, now Post Master General, Bombay, who had a water-colour painting of the head of a Teal shot in Sindh, which certainly was male Q. formosa. I wish sportsmen all over the country would keep a sharp look out for this species. 966 bis.—Querquedula falcata, Georgi. I have already (Vol. IV., 225) reported the occurrence of this species near Kurnal (Punjaub), and near Lucknow (Oudh), and now I have to record obtaining a lovely specimen on the Qnd January in the Calcutta Bazaar. This species has not yet been described in Jerdon or Stray FEATHERS. The following are the dimensions, &c., of my specimen :— Male.—Length, 19°75 ; expanse, 32°5; wing, 9°5; tail from vent, 3°2; tarsus, 15; bill from gape, 2:1; weight, 1 lb. 6 ozs. GLEANINGS FROM THE CALGUTTA MARKET. 495 Trides deep brown; bill perfectly black (not a bit greenish) as Dresser says ; legs and feet drab, with an olive tinge, (not the faintest approach to blue grey as Dresser calls them) ; the webs, except immediately alongside the toes, (where they are unicolorous with these) and claws dusky black. A frontal spot ending in a point on the culmen, about 0:4 long and 0°3 wide, pure white. The lores, forehead, crown and lower portion of cheeks a rich ruddy purple or chocolate bronze; the rest of the cheeks, sides of the head, and occiput emerald green in most lights, in a few ruddy, or even rosy bronze; the feathers of the hinder crown, occiput and nape are lengthened so as to form a considerable mane-like crest; the chin and entire throat snow white, then a black ring all round the neck, with dark green or greenish blue reflections; the white of the throat runs in a little point into this ring and half divides it; then a white ring; then the front and sides of the neck, breast and abdomen (except quite the lower part) white, each feather with a broad subterminal black bar following the curve of the end of the feather; those of the neck with these bars very perfect and strongly marked, and with similar though not quite so well-marked bars within the outer one, higher up ; those of the breast and upper three-fourths of the abdomen, with only the single bar, and this more or less imperfect; back of the neck (below the white ring), interscapulary region, smaller scapulars, sides of breast, sides, flanks, lower portion of abdomen and feathers about vent, closely barred, in some places almost vermiculated, black, or dusky, and white or greyish white, in varying degrees of fineness and intensity; entire wings and larger scapulars dove or grey brown, darker on the quills ; the outer webs of all the secondaries black, with dull metallic green lustre, their greater coverts broadly tipped white, they themselves narrowly so. Middle and lower back and rump dark rather glossy hair brown; a few of the feathers with traces of fine pale vermi- culations ; shorter central upper tail-coverts similar, but a paler greyer brown; rest of upper tail-coverts jet black, with a sub- dued green lustre; tail a delicate, somewhat silvery, grey brown, almost completely covered by the long black upper tail- coverts; entire wing-linizng and axillaries pure white; the lowest flank feathers on each side, with broad, pure-white, wnbar- red tips, most of lower tail-coverts black, with a faint greenish lustre; shorter lateral lower tail-coverts on either side pure creamy buff. This patch ef creamy white is not as Dresser seems to think, and as he figures it, on each side of the tail; on the contrary 63 496 GLEANEINGS FROM THE CALCUTTA MARKET. it is entirely under the tail, in fact an integral part of the lower coverts. In the breeding season the tertiaries are said to be “ greatly elongated, sickle-shaped, and reaching to the end of the_pri- maries; the shafts and external edges of these feathers whitish, the outer ones being entirely velvety black, but the inner ones less black, and finely vermiculated.” There is no trace of this development in our bird ; init the tertiaries are pale grey brown. Dresser neither figures nor mentions the conspicuous snow- white frontal patch. In other respects his description agrees fairly with our bird, so that I may safely quote his description of the female and young male, neither of which have as yet been obtained here. “ Adult Female.—Head striped with purplish brown, each fea- ther margined with fulvous ; sides of the face and neck dotted with small brown points and stripes ; throat paler, varied with small brown markings ; general colour of the back rufous, more or less broadly and irregularly varied with brown; lower portion of the back brown, with a few obsolete fulvous edgings, being colour- ed as inthe male, but the sickle-shaped feathers not develop- ed, these being represented by a few elongated and slightly curved feathers, for the most part brown, the outer webs incli- ning to grey at the base, the outer margins white; upper part . of the breast deep rufous, with a few purplish-brown cross markings, these being thickest on the lower part of the neck and sides of the throat; rest of the under surface of the body fulvous, covered everywhere with very indistinct brown mottlings; sides of the body and under tail-coverts rather deeper rufous, with plainer longitudinal brown stripes and irregular mottlings ; under wing-coverts and axillary plumes pure white. Total length, 16 inches; culmen, 1°8; wing, 9-0; tail, 3-4; tarsus, 1:2. “ Young Male.—In general colouration resembling the old female, but altogether of a darker brown, and less mottled with rufous, the head and back being distinctly glossed with green ; the wing coloured as in the adult female, but having obsolete fulvous edgings to the wing-coverts, and the white tips to the greater coverts also somewhat tinged with fulvous ; the under surface of the body is pale fulvous, covered with small spots of brown; the upper part of the breast and flanks more rufous, and mottled with brown. Total length, 15 inches; culmen, 1:65 ; wing, 9:3; tail, 3:0 ; tarsus, 1-25.”7 968.—Fuligula ferina, Lin. ; and 971.—F. cristata, Lin., both occur, but the latter especially rather rarely, in the market. I don’t think that in all these years I have seen more than 20 to 30 of each in any season. GLEANINGS FROM THE CALCUTTA MARKET. 497 974 and 975.—Podiceps cristatus, Lin., and P. minor, Gm.— Both occur, the latter commonly, the former perhaps six or eight times in the season—both are freely bought, sold and eaten as “ Ducks” ! Of the Gulls and Terns little need be said, except that but few come in, but that what do come find a ready sale as “ Pillowa” ? Do you giveit up? anglice, (though they fancy they are talking first quality English) Plover ! The only species I have seen are Larus ichthyetus, ridibundus and brunneicephalus, Sterna anglica, indica, seena and melano- gastra, and Lehynchops albicollis. Pelican used, I hear, to be brought into the market, but I have seen none for several years. The Bilak Dook (Black Duck) alias Phalacrocorax pygmaeus, is manifestly a favourite dish with the European nobility and gentry of Calcutta, but the natives never buy them except for their masters ! I may add a few words about prices, which have enormously increased during recent years. It is not so long ago that the finest Duck, say a male Pintail or red-crested Pochard, in first-class condition, could be bought as a rule for 4 annas, and I have bought them when the market was rather overstocked for 3 annas a piece. This year large first-class Ducks have never been below 8 annas, have generally been up to 10 annas, and on some mornings, during dark periods of the moon, have sold at 11 to 12 annas. Brabminys, «e., Ruddy Shelldrake, which are wretched eating, and which used to sell for from 8 to 10 annas, have this year sold for from Re. 1 to 1-12 each! It seems perfectly asto- nishing that people should pay such prices for such wretched birds. As for Geese, the old price of which was 12 annas, they have never been down to Re. 1, but as far as I could see, they never ranged as high as the Shelldrake, although larger and infi- nitely better eating. There is no accounting for these things. Snipe, a few years ago, were always at least 8 for the rupee ; often I have known them go at ten or even twelve. This year they have only once been down to six, and with this ex- ception they have varied from four to five according to the supply in the market. The regular price for the spotted Sand Piper used to be 8 annas ascore. They have fetched 2 annas a piece on more than one occasion this year. Tringa minuta used td be 4 for one anna; you can hardly get 3 for 2 annas now. Compared with European rates the prices are still moderate, but the rise has been very great and rapid, and if this kind of thing goes on, water-fowl will, in a few years, become a luxury too expensive for people generally to indulge in, 498 GLEANINGS FROM THE CALCUTTA MARKET. The vendors of Quail, Pigeons and the miscellaneous Lark- Wagtail-Pipit lot, always dignified by the appellation of ortolans, are the people who have captured or aided in capturing them. Tu the case of the shore and water birds it is different; the sellers are, as a rule, mere stall-keepers. The real fowlers come in often before it is light, each bringing from fifty to a couple of hundreds of snipe, snippets, plovers and ducks, dead and alive, tied densely along a stick, 4 to 6 feet long, with an empty space just big enough for the shoulder in the middle, and the first act of the market consists of the haggling between the fowlers and the stall-keepers. Some of them seem to have stand- ing arrangements with, or to be partners in, the stalls, and just make over their birds to one or more of the vendors without — discussion, but in the majority of cases, vehement bargaining goes on. One dealer seizes one end of the stick, another the other. The fowler holds on vigorously. Hach successively gives a little pull in his own direction. All scream, gesticulate and use indifferent language at the tops of their voices. A stranger would certainly expect a pitched battle, but after a time every- thing is arranged. Sometimes the parties cannot at first agree, and the fowler will sit down and begin to sell on his own account, or make a show of doing so, but this never lasts long. On the whole, the fowlers seem to me to get very fair prices. T took a long time to find out what they do get, but succeeded at last. I found that, if the dealer could sell 6 snipe for the rupee he took 8 from the fowler—if he could sell a duck for 10 annas he paid 7, but they sometimes make much larger profits, and especially in the case of fancy articles, such as Geese and Ruddy Shelldrake. I observe that the fowlers often sit down beside the stall-keepers and watch the sales for some little time. I suppose to keep themselves au fait of current prices and ruling rates. A certain amount of dead Geese and Ducks that have been shot, and gutted, have also been in recent times brought down (but not, as faras I can learn, from any great distances) by the BH. 1. R., H. B. R., and Port Canning lines, but as yet these receipts form a very insignificant portion of the supplies. Pos- sibly, as the local production diminishes and prices rise, the unlimited sources tapped by these lines may furnish a larger contingent, and when they do so, it may be worth the while of the railways to provide special carriages in which such birds ean be hung, designed on an ice-box principle to keep out heat and enclosing a huge lump of ice to keep down the temperature inside. A. O. H. 499 Ocpcevos tickelli. My friend Mr. Elliot was anxious to obtain good speci- mens of Ocyceros (Anorhinus) tickelli to figure for his splendid work on the Hornbills, so I specially deputed my Assistant Curator, Mr. Darling, to the only place where I know that they occur, and after much trouble he succeeded in securing a series. We are now in a position to speak with greater certainty about Anorhinus austeni. Referring to what I said (p. 167), it will be remembered that I concluded that this was too large to be identified with tickelli. The following dimensions recorded in the flesh by Mr. Darling hardly support that conclusion :— Sex. Length. Expanse. Wing. ‘Tail. Tarsus. Bill from gape. Weight. $ 299 37-7 135 125 1-9 5 1:875ibs. 3 304 39:2 13 124 1-91 5-2 2 ¥ 3S 298 42-2 13 126 18 4:9 1:875 ,, Bas 30 42 125 129 19 48 1875 ,, ie o8-3 39 12 18 19 48 1-625 ,, yg -2B1 38 12 115 18 45 Tyas o. 98 ce 12 11 19 45 1-625 ,, O28 39 122 14 2 45 Leb s: Q 285 38:5 12 15 2 4-4, Lo 3 9 286 39 123 06 2 4:4 15 So far, therefore, as size is concerned, the two might not impossibly be the same bird, but with fifteen specimens, seven males and eight females, before me, I am able to say positively that, if Major Godwin-Austen’s description was accurate—and I have myself no doubt that it was so—then A. austeni is distinct from A. tickelli. As I said betore (p. 168) austent must have been a male: all my male ézckellz, young and old, have the bill pale yellow; all the females have it blackish brown to brownish dusky. In no specimen, male (or female) of tickelli, are the “ throat and sides of the neck white” as in austeni, nor does any single specimen exhibit any trace of, or tendency towards, such a coloration. In no specimen of either sex of tickel/i are the “bases of the primaries white,’ or the primaries themselves “ barred with white,’ both of which are said to be the case with A. austeni. Of course, if Godwin-Austen, for once in his life in regard to this one particular bird, has written a wrong: description, austent and teckelli may be identical, but this being highly improbable, I at present feel no doubt that the two are distinct. 500 OCYCEROS TICKELLI. Darling records that in the adult male the bill is yellowish white, a little browner on the casque, with a patch of saffron or orange yellow at the base of the lower mandible on either side, and with generally a small dusky patch at the tip of the lower mandible, at times running as a narrow band backwards along the commissure. In the female, the bill is brownish black ; sometimes a sort of chocolate dusky. In both sexes the irides are bright brown; but in one female they were black; the legs and feet brownish black; the claws horny black; the orbital skin and that at base of lower mandible bluish white or blue, the latter not unfrequently pink, and sometimes part of the former also is the same colour. The colours of the soft parts, as recorded by Davison and Bingham (VI., 104) should also be referred to, as no two persons quite agree about colours. Besides the differences in the colours of the bills, and in size, already pointed out, the males and females differ further, in that the former have the chin, throat, sides of neck, entire lower surface of body, tibial plumes and lower tail-coverts, a bright, warm, somewhat ferruginous rufous, while in the female these parts are a grey earthy brown, only partially tinged or overlaid with a dull ferruginous rufous. In the male, the white tippings to the tail-feathers are much deeper than in the female, and in the former some or all of the primary greater coverts are tipped with white, which is not the case in the female; the white tippings to the quills, which often in the male extend to the tertiaries, are much less marked in the female, and are commonly confined to the earlier primaries. | Darling says :— “This bird, of which I got twelve*—six males and six females —I met with on the Thoungyah Hills, some 15 miles from Kaukaryit, ou the way to the Yahine Territory, wé Meawuddee. “T noticed them once half way between Kaukaryit and Thoungyah. I found them very shy, and very hard to get close to; they were always in heavy forest, and the way they found out a man’s approach, although stalked in a_ perfect native fashion, was something marvellous. They announce their whereabouts by an incessant cackling, which they always seem to keep up when feeding, but when any danger is seen, a shrill scream is given, and away they go, one after the other in a string; they do not seem to fly far, but settle * He only recorded the measurements of ten. INFLUENCE OF RAINFALL ON DISTRIBUTION OF SPECIES. 501 in a tree from 100 to 150 yards off, and again commence their cackling. | “When feeding, they are found as low as from 30 to 40 feet from the ground, but when disturbed, they fly straight off to the tops of the highest trees about. They never, when feeding, sit for more than, at the most, a minute in one place, but are constantly bustling, flying, and sailing about. The parties I saw consisted of from eight to eighteen birds, though generally from eight to ten. The chief food seems to be berries, but I twice found remains of some kind of fly in their stomachs.” A. Oo By Aniuence of Bainfall on Distribution of Species. On a recent occasion (vide ante, p. 53), I pointed out how great an influence the total annual average rainfall hadon the distribution of birds. I said :—“ It is customary to talk of the Malayan facies, of the Fauna of the Malabar Coast, the Assamboo Hills and part of Ceylon ; what is this but that in these localities you recover the heavy rainfall of the Malay Peninsular? How the same species or representative forms found their way to these distant localities is another question, but their survival in each is due primarily to the extent of the rainfall. “ What gives such a plains of India facies to the dry upper portions of Pegu, but the light average rainfall? What allows the Indo-Malayan species to run up westward along the feet of the Himalayas, at any rate as far as the Ganges, but the heavy rainfall ?” When this was written no chart had been published so far as I know illustrating these views. Later, however, a small map of India, approximately showing the mean annual rainfall of the various provinces, was prepared for other purposes, and I am able to present my readers with a copy of this. A glance at this affords one important key to the entire distribution of species in India. We see at once why the West Coast, Tenasserim, Lower Pegu, Arakan, Eastern Bengal, Assam, and the Sub-Himalayan tracts, have such very similar avifaunas; why the birds of the Dekhan and parts of the North-West Provinces and the Punjaub, Rajpootana and Kattiawar are almost identical; why so SHOWING THE OF In English Inches Scale of Enghsh Miles * unfan tht Velo th 4 | K » ss POFOLAD U Daduye — (hree ; } LEAS TOLAL Toe gn: Churkurgn vf X oe Lohakowe Kuttungujh ot a oe ‘s $ Whanguh Sigcne A Fi Rhian ° Van beore Malte ay wv Ke i BOPP Maribiy es yy, 1 Peg soe if ols i agin Yass De bya LO Mapanot * Pe fp. Te fate hi y Belo Kop ee Y * Jegpo ul : a g . blo 7 Lusso Gy 3 fips UPalr a 3 5 } a" ; f pI SF hialer ont | | ( , 1] 4 | oe : digs Sf INCA 76 7 4 = , = en RY, KOMMAY & ! sls Le et tf i a 3 Mats { y ( ‘ : » “a firkins i SS (Nfcaotegwiculin ; " y , soo Non iat : PB imhparan al RD oecubicterabade BustnMielwnr eS Pt PVieadapat a oe inti st comm ay tad oe Reha. Sen | Dy | | t sulipatam SU Divy | fdas Banks | | Mud Bank | ® fe REFERENCES. eu Pulicat a e Bhulicat,~ Mes Arid Zone less than 15 inches eo | Dry Zone from 15 to 30 | v ee Intermediate Zone from 30to 70... Moist Zone 70 inches & upwards Islands SS Neaheti Pur = The figures express the mean annual Rain-fall im inches al tof | ; EAT Branandes Pholo tell Mille tou Merite Atel | , Mostooten N Atoll MIT rou Merdous Abt Maldeeve 4 or Vidiephele oe Miaidoaphole Atoll Sent MaNlow Mahatins doit Waa Milles Mahitens droll) - Reaberoh Molto vet Matidiva pricy ———. corte a slands aren So Male oe Kings Istana 2» Smwth ate ate | ————— Qr ttle Anutanvan MAP oF INDIA Mean annual distribution THE RAIN FALL Compiled in the office of the Meteorological Reporter to the Government of India. yj jot Mastabw BPeparta treat Looe te Laltle Cove ®Narce de Andaman t Ges é.. «Blass 16 SInvinible Banh Coral Rok Hogi] MTHOGRAPHED FROM AN ORIGINAL SUPPIIgp BY THE METEOROLOGICAL REPORTER TO THE GOVT. oF INDIA At the Surveyor General's Office, Calcutta, June 1878 ‘ | DY Gull 502 SOME NOTES ON SINDH BIRDS. many species are practically confined to parts of Rajpootana and the Punjaub, Sindh and Cutch. This little map is not nearly sufficiently in detail to admit of the subject being worked out as it should be. Our materials are not yet nearly sufficiently full and accurate to permit of the accurate delineation of Iso-ombric zones; all that has here been attempted is to convey a general conception; we should require seven or eight instead of four such zones in order to make the correspondence thoroughly clear; but still this little map will, I think, suffice to prove the general correctness of the view which I put forward; and so far as I know for the first time, viz., that in this Empire, the average rainfall is the most potential factor in determining the distribution of species where birds are concerned. How far this tentative axiom will be found applicable to other tropical and sub-tropical countries, or how far again what is true of birds may prove true of mammals, reptiles and other sections of the animal kingdom, I cannot pretend to say; but the subject is of sufficient importance to demand the con- sideration of all those mterested in the laws that govern the distribution of animal life. In conclusion, it may be well to notice that Mandalay and all Upper Burmah are left blank, not because we believe them to belong to the arid zone, but because no materials exist for coloring these correctly. Jake (On Ist Some Hotes on Sindh Birds. By 8. Doie, C.B. I HAVE recently come across one or two species not hitherto enumerated in any of the former lists* of Sindh Birds, and I may as well put these on record at once. I have also one or two remarks to make in regard to species which are not new to the Sindh list. * Vide 1., 148; V., 328; VII., 113 and 1733 SOME NOTES ON SINDH BIRDS. 503 Srcrion 1. Birds new* to the Sindh List. 38.—Circaetus gallicus, Gmel. Shot a specimen of this Eagle on 10th November 1878, near Mahomed Khan’s Tanda. Dimensions as follow :— Female.—Length, 27-5; expanse, 72 ; tail, 12:5; wing, 21°5 ; bill at front, 1°5 ; bill from gape, 2:5. Noticed it pretty often all along the road from the above place to the Hastern Narra Districts, where it is tolerably com- mon. 52.—Circus cineraceus, Dont. Shot a young female on 17th November, and a young male on 18th ; the former was shot so badly I could not skin it. Comparing the skin of the male with the diagnosis given in the Ist Vol. S.F., page 418, there is no doubt about the identi- fication of this bird as the quills are only emarginated on outer webs of the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th primaries, and the bulge on the 2nd primary is fully an inch below the line of wing- coverts. 67.—Otus vulgaris, Fem. Shot a very fine female on the 23rd of December 1878. Length, 14°32; expanse, 37:5; tail, 6-5 ; wing, 12; bill at front, 1:12; bill from gape, 1°25. Trides bright yellow ; claws dark horny ; bill the same. [Here I should insert a letter previously received from Cap- tain Butler from Hyderabad. He says :— ; “Great luck, this morning, (19th December 1878) I bag- ged a beautiful pair (male and female) of Otus vulgaris. I was sitting on a bridge crossing a nullah, overgrown with thick babool trees, in the early morning waiting for Doig, when suddenly I heard about fifty Babblers chattering away in such an unusual manner that I knew at once they were mobbing something, and on proceeding to the spot I found a lovely pair of Otus vulgaris sitting in the middle of alow babool tree on the outside of the clump. Two shots quickly secured them both, and beauties they are. Measurements as follows :— Female.—Length, 13°75 ; wing, 11:25; tail, 5-75; bill at front, 1:06 ; bill from gape, 1:12; expanse, 35°75. * [have taken this opportunity to record four other species new to our lists. This makes eight in all, and raises the total number for the province to 379, of which only nine —Nos. 26, 168bis, 259bis, 490¢er, 497¢er, 720quat, 75lter, 845dis, 985bis—seem doubtful.—Eb. 8. F. 64 504 SOME NOTES ON SINDH BIRDS.: Male.—ULength, 14; wing, 12; tail, 6; bill at front, 1:06; bill from gape, 1°12 ; expanse, 35° 73, Toes lavender ; bill dusky horn; irides brilliant orange 38 yel- low.’’—Ep. S. F.] [553.—Hypolais rama, Sykes. 553 ¢er.—Hypolais pallida, Hemp. and Ehr. (ante p. 398.) Both these were sent me long ago from near Sehwan by Mr. James, but I was not satisfied as to the identity of the latter, and I sent it to Mr. Brooks, who: said it was only a large rama, in which I did not concur, and so the specimens lay by unnoticed until I got specimens of pallida identified at home from Persia and Kurope, and then I forgot that neither species had been noticed.—Ep., 8. F.] [738.—-Carpodacus erythrinus, Pall. Amongst specimens of Lrythrospiza githaginea, Mr. Murray has recently sent me two examples of this present species, killed near Sehwan in December 1877.— Ep. 8. F.] 932.—Ardetta flavicollis, Lath. On the 25th January I noticed what I thought was a re- markably dark green Bittern, and again on the 26th I hada nearer view of the same bird, and I then distinctly saw a yellow streak along the side of the neck and the throat of a whitish colour ; the rest of the plumage apparently black ; when too late to shoot it, it flashed across my mind it was a Black Bittern. [Captain Butler writes :— “I discovered another novelty on the 29th January ina swamp about eight miles from here (Sukker) on the other side of the river, viz., the Little Black Bittern. Ihave no books by me, and cannot recollect the scientific name now. There was no mistak- ing the bird, as it crossed the cance I was in, with the sun shining full on it so close (about 6 or 7 yards) that I did not shoot for fear of blowing it to pieces. It dived into a thick bush, whence I was unable to dislodge it. As far as I could see, it was about the size of A. sinensis or A. cinnamomea of a glossy (!) black throughout, with a pale yellowish line on the side of the neck.” It would have been much more satisfactory if one of these gentlemen had shot the bird. Neither of them are familiar with it, and there is re sa possibility of error in this kind of identification, —Ep., 8. F SOME NOTES ON SINDH BIRDS. 505 [971 bis.—Clangula glaucion, Lin. This species must, as already noted, VII, 464, be added to the Sindh list.—Ep. S. F. | SEcTIoN 2. Birds not new to the Sindh List. 8.—Falco peregrinus, Gmel. Shot a very fine female at Dadoo, a place north of Sehwan, on the 26th December 1878 ; it was sitting in a babool tree in the middle of a dhund. Length, 18°62; expanse, 44°75; tail, 8:12; wing, 14:3; bill at front, 1°25; bill from gape, 1°3. _Legs yellow; irides deep brown; cere pale greenish yellow ; bill horny, very dark at tip. 60.—Strix javanica, Gel. Killed a very handsome female on the 6th January 1879, at Hyderabad ; the breast only was buff colored ; all the rest of the lower parts white, spotted with brown; bill nearly all pearly white. Length, 13°87 ; expanse, 39°25; tail, 5; wing, 11°12; bill at front, 1:2; bill from gape, 1°62. Trides deep brown ; legs and toes grey ; claws pale horny ; bill nearly pearly white. 68.—Otus brachyotus, Gmel. Shot a male bird on the 21st December 1878. Length, 14°5 ; expanse, 39°25; tail, 6-25; wing, 12°62; bill at front, 1°18; bill from gape, 1°12. Trides bright yellow ; toes grey ; bill horny. 69.—Urrua bengalensis, Frankl. Shot a very handsome pair of these owls—one on the 22nd December 1878, and the other on the 5th January 1879. Male.—Length, 20°25; expanse, 50°12; tail,9; wing, 15; bill at front, 1°62; bill from gape, 1°87. Female.—Length, 21 ; expanse, 55°75 ; tail, 9; wing, 15-75; bill at front, 1°75; bill from gape, 1°87. Irides brilliant golden yellow ; bill and cere dark horny, also claws. 74 sept.—Scops brucei, Hume. Shot a very fine specimen of this little Scops at Hyderabad, on the 16th December 1878. It was sitting in a babool bush on the outskirts of a dense young babool plantation, 506 PENNANT’S INDIAN ZOOLOGY._ Male.—Length, 8:12; expanse, 20°62; tail, 3:12; wing, 6°12 ; bill at front, -62 ; bill from gape, °81. é Irides brilliant yellow ; toes olivaceous grey ; bill horny. 75 ter.—Scops indicus, Gm. Shot a very fine female on the 23rd December 1878, in a young babool grove near Hyderabad. Length, 8:75; expanse, 22°12; tail, 3:5 ; wing, 6°62; bill at front, °87 ; bill from gape, °9. Irides golden yellow ; feet plumbeous grey; bill dark horny, darkest at tip. Bemnant’s Indian soology. Some time ago (Vol. V., 135) I pointed out that Jerdon’s. Scops griseus, (malabaricus, of Sharpe) was identical with Scops bakkamuna, of Forster, and this again with Strix indica of Gmelin. As at that time I had only Forster’s edition of 1795, I concluded that Gmelin’s name of 1788 had precedence ; but I find that Forster’s first edition was published in 1781, so that necessarily Forster’s name has precedence. But then other questions, which I am unable to solve, arise. In 1769, Thomas Pennant, Joseph (afterwards Sir Joseph) Banks, and John Gideon Loten (a Governor in Ceylon) commenced a work which they entitled Indian Zoology. Pennant undertook the descriptive part, Loten furnishing the drawings from which the engravings were taken, and all sharing the expense. Only twelve plates were engraved and publish- ed in that year, and then the further prosecution of the work was abandoned. Later, these twelve plates and three others, engraved at Pennant’s expense, but not as yet published in England, were presented to Forster, and in 1781 Ze brought out at Halle, in Saxony, 4s Indische Zoologie, which consisted, first, of an Hssay by himself on India, its boundaries, climate, soil and sea ; then of Pennant’s plates and descriptions ; and, lastly, of a catalogue of the Fauna of india as then known, Forster bestowing scientific appellations on those species included in this Faunula Indica, as he called it, which he took from Edwardes and others, who did not use any scientific names. In 1791 (the preface bears this year, the title page 1790), a new edition of Pennant’s Indian Zoology was published. This consisted of a translation of Forster’s Essay, of Pennant’s 16 plates (Pennant himself only accounts for 15 as above,) and PENNANT’S INDIAN ZOOLOGY. : B50? descriptions, and a re-arranged Faunula Indica, insects by Latham, the rest by Davies, the bird portion without scientific names and based on Latham’s synopsis of Birds and Index Ornithologicus. Again, in 1795, Forster brought out a second edition of his work. Now I cannot get hold of Pennant’s work of 1769, and I cannot therefore find out whether he gave scientific names to all the species he described or not. To some he apparently did, as his names Ahinga melanogaster, Gallinula phenicura, Anas melanonotus are quoted by various authors. Again, I cannot determine which were the 12 plates he published in 1769, and which were those that he gave to Forster, and which were first published by that author in ESL. ; Altogether, Forster published the following thirteen species of birds. The authorities to be quoted for these depend upon the solution of the above moot points:— (1.) Cireus melanoleucus, ( Forst. } (2.) Scops bakkamuna*, (Forst.) (3.) Harpactes fasciatus, ( Gm.) (4.) Phoenicophaés pyrrhocephalus, ( Forst.) (5.) Callolophus miniatus, (Java,) (Forst.) (6.) Galloperdix bicalearatus, (Penn.) (7.) Ptilopus melanocephalus, (? Java) (Gm.) (8.) Pericrocotus flammeus, (Forst.) (9.) Orthotomus sutorius, ( Forst.) (1C.) Tantalus leucocephalus, ( Gm.) (11.) Erythra pheenicura, ( Penn.) (12.) Sarkidiornis melanonotus, (Penn.) (13.) Anas poecilorhyncha, (Gm.) I have placed in brackets after each name, the name of the authority to which it is now-a-days commonly attributed. Now, as to numbers 3, 7,10, 13, commonly attributed to Gmelin, it is clear that these names must stand as Forster’s, unless Pennant’s first edition proves that his zame should appear as author. Under no circumstance can they stand as Gmedin’s. As to the whole lot, whether Pennant’s name should be retained in regard to any, and if so only to numbers 6, 11 and 12, or to others, and if so to which, nothing but an examina- tion of his first edition of 1769, of which I have been vainly trying to get a copy for years, can enable us to determine. If Pennant did not give scientific names, 1 do not know how numbers 6, 11 and 12 are usually quoted as his; and if he did give names in these cases, it is curious that he did not give them to * Pennant called this bird bakkamena; if he gave this name as a specific one in 1769, then this, and not bakkamuna, must be adopted. 508 A FEW NOTES ON PHYLLOSCOPUS PLUMBEITARSUs, all he did publish. But then, again, which were the three he did not publish, and for which Forster’s names will anyhow stand ? Anyone at home, having access toa library in which this first edition is contained, could answer all these questions, and solve all our difficulties in a few minutes, and it is to be hoped that the spirit will move some one at home to do this. ' aX. Ore A fet notes ow Dhplloscopus plumbeitarsus, Siyinhoe, and Phulloscopus biridanus, Blyth. By W. Epwin Brooks. My friend Mr. Seebohm has lately done such good work, and has brought such a number of interesting ornithological facts to light, that I feel much reluctance in opposing one of his recent conclusions. But it is every one’s duty to do his best to clear away mistakes, including his own when he finds them out, and for the sake of science we should never hesitate to controvert a friend’s conclusions. With this little apology 1 begin my task. In Vol VII., of Stray FEATHERS, page 454, Mr. Seebohm says: “Iam also nearly sure that Phylloscopus plumbeitarsus will prove to be the summer plumage of Phylloscopus virida- nus. This bird will then breed abundantly from the Ural to Lake Baikal, and winter in India and Burmah,” and the Editor adds: “‘ I think this view will require confirmation.” When such a conclusion appears in print, a few remarks are absolutely necessary, and I am in the better position to submit these, in that Mr. Hume has kindly sent me for examination a batch of Phylloscops (all collected during Decem- ber at Moulmein, by his curator Mr. W. Davison,) containing numerous specimens of plumbeitarsus. In fact the lot inclu- ding 89 specimens, consisted of :— P. superciliosus abs ... 40 P. fuscatus ... eee vee 24 P. plumbeitarsus spe eee 13 P. lugubris__... ae wn, LO ipa schiwakziguacee ose Sea P. trochiloides... ssa siateaak Oe SWINHOE, AND PHYLLOSCOPUS VIRIDANUS, BLYTH. 509 Here we have, therefore, a fine series of winter plumbettarsus, and as to P. viridanus, I have shot it in every month of the year except July and August. Those I shot late in June in Cashmere at their breeding haunts were certainly in summer plumage. ‘These did not differ from the autumnal and spring ones, except in being rather more faded and worn. They were the very birds I got in the plains; and apart from plumage, the note and song are very sure criteria. P. plumbeitarsus is allied to P. viridanus, but it is closer to P, lugubris structurally than to P. viridanus. Speaking in the first instance of plumbeitarsus, the points of difference are as follows :—- 1. Is a structural one, and is alone fatal to identity. It has a much stronger bill than viridanus ; in shape more like that of P. magnirostris. A glance at the bill decides the question of identity. The upper mandible is much more curved on the culmen, the curved portion beginning much nearer the base than in wiridanus. In the latter, the bill in profile is flatter on the top, and the curved portion near the tip commences more abrupt- ly. The bill of plumbeitarsus is thicker or deeper than that of viridanus. Hven the lower mandible is more curved in outline. 2. The bill is darker above, and yellower below. 3. The whole upper plumage is of a darker tone, especially on the head. This is most apparent. ; 4, It has two very distinct wing bars, against the oe rather indistinct one of virzdanus. 5. These wing bars contrast abruptly with the adjoining green of the feather, but the wing bar of viridanus is blended into the greenish colour of the coverts. This difference forbids identity. 6. The wing bars of plumbeitarsus are yellowish in colour, but are quite white in viridanus, except in the young bird in nest plumage, which has the wing bar of a dull buff. I never, however, saw one old bird with a buff wing bar. Here I should remark that in worn examples of viridanus the wing bar is often entirely gone, and its wing then resembles that of P. tytleri, which never has any wing bar. I have seen the wing bars of R. humzi almost worn away, but they are so broad, that they are not easily entirely lost. 7. The band through the eye, and continued to the ear- coverts, is very much darker and bolder in plumbeitarsus, reminding one of the same feature in P. magnirostris. 8. Wenever get plumbetarsus in India; at all events I have never heard of its having been met with, and its congener viridanus can be obtained in any quantity. Geographical distri- bution is a very strong point when identity is supposed. 510 A FEW NOTES ON PHYLLOSCOPUS PLUMBEITARSUS, &C. Thirteen plumbettarsus measured gave an average length of wing of 2°23, and the first thirteen I took of the other bird gave an average wing of 2°36; from which it would appear that viridanus is, as a rule, the larger bird : 4°75 is the greatest, dimension recorded by Mr. Davison of plumbeitarsus, total length in the flesh. Jerdon says of viridanus “43 to 5 inches,” but difference in size is not one of the strong points. These thirteen plumbeitarsus were, as above mentioned, all winter birds. I have already enumerated all the other species of Phylloscopt found associated with plumbettarsus about Moulmein by Mr. Davison, and it does seem strange that there was not a single example of viridanus out of the whole 89. I think it shows that the latter is not nearly such a com- — mon bird in Burmah as plumbeitarsus. J may here also draw: attention to the fact, that there was not a single example of Reguloides iumii in the box, though there were forty of Reguloides supercilosus. I don’t think, I need say anything further in defence of Mr. Swinhoe’s bird, which is a thoroughly good species. Phylloscopus viridanus is our most abundant Willow Wren in “India. I should not like to say how many have passed through my hands, killed from Cashmere to Calcutta. I have about one hundred from this district alone, where I am now stationed, and if a good series enables one to understand a species, I must say I have had this advantage, and I have never once come across anything like plumbeitarsus, though I have often searched for novelties of this description. I examined a large number in regard to shape of bill, and I found that in this respect viridanus was very constant. . Many small sylvine birds have a sort of expression, if I may so describe it, and head alone will, in many cases, decide the species. Now who could not decide P. schwarzi at once by its bill alone? It has an expression of its own, quite apart from colour. The closest approach to P. viridanus is the female of P. magnirostris, which is very much smaller than the male. Here the stouter bill, much like that of P. plumbeitarsus, is invaluable, especially when wing bars are worn away. The last [b:s, January 1879, gives an account of P. viridanus procured in Heligoland ; the eggs of this species will, therefore, become a desiderata in European collections. I found one newly made nest in Cashmere, but could not wait for the eggs. It was a domed nest on the steep bank side of a ravine full of small birch trees. Elevation about 11,000 feet. In the same ravine were numbers of P. ajjinis, and a few Siphia leucome- lanura. S11 Birds occurring in India, not described in Jerdon ov hitherto in “* Strap Feathers,” 35 bis.—Limnaetus ceylonensis, Gm. I by no means mean to assert that either this or the next species, Z. felaarti, are really deserving of specific separation. Ihave not myself had an opportunity of examining a sufi- cient number of specimens; but they are clearly distinguish- able races, and as Mr. Gurney considers this form at any rate distinct, we cannot be far wrong in accepting his verdict for the present. He says (Ibis, 1877, 430) :— “ Limnaetus ceylonensis (Falco ceylonensis of Gmelin).—The ordinary Hawk-Hagle of Ceylon, which Mr. Sharpe identifies with Z. cirrhatus, is a decidedly smaller bird. I have measured ten Ceylonese specimens, of which the largest had the wing 15:2 inches in length from the carpal joint, and the tarsus 3:6, and the smallest had the wing 14 inches and the tarsus 3°4. “ Judging from the specimens which I have seen, I should say that the ordinary plumage of JL. ceylonensis varies but little, and much resembles the first dress of LZ. cirrhatus as described by Mr. Hume in Srray Fearuers, Vol. IV., p. 356.” | Mr. Legge gives full and detailed descriptions of all the stages of this bird’s plumage in his admirable work on the “‘ Birds of Ceylon’’ elsewhere referred to, and points out that the old bird has a dark fuliginous phase, which certainly does not occur in cirrhatus. He suggests, as Mr. Gurney did previously, that my L. sphyne (S. F., I, 321) may be this same species, though its plumage does not altogether agree with that of any known phase of ceylo- nensis ; and though its enormously long tarsus and crest, not tipped with white, do oppose difficulties to the identification. Looking to the localities, I should think my bird must be ceylonensis, despite differences; but time and a further series of specimens, can, alone, decide the question. 36 dis.—Limnaetus kelaarti, Legge. “ Having had occasion to examine a large series of Spizaetus nipalensis for the purpose of comparison with examples of the 65 512 BIRDS OCCURRING IN INDIA NOT DESCRIBED ;Mountain. Hawk-Eagle of Ceylon, I find that certain charac- ‘teristics, differing from those presented by the Ceylonese birds, are constant in the Indian form. Fully adult birds from Nepal are nearly always exceedingly dark on the head, and have the whole of the centre of the chin and gorge occupied by a very broad black stripe, having between it and the equally black cheeks a space narrower than itself; the colouration of the chest likewise is very dark, from youth to the adult stage, and more examples have a plain brown feather than one with un- dulations of white at the lateral margins. The distinctive character of the under suface, as compared with that of the Ceylonese form, consists in the white bars on the breast, flanks, and belly being, in all cases, more or less interrupted at the shaft by the brown hue of the rest of the feather, which division varies from an exceedingly fine margin on each side of the dark shaft, to a broad space equal, even in adults, to about three- tenths of aninch. The bars are, moreover, irregular, and in many instances do not exactly oppose one another, while in others they take the form of mere bar-like spots, not reaching to the shaft or margin of the web; the brown hue of the feather is uniform throughout, being no darker at the margin of the’ ‘white band than elsewhere. In contradistinction to these features, the Ceylon bird is marked from the chest down- wards with broad complete, parallel-edged, white bands, with which the shaft is concolorous ; in addition to which the brown portion of the feather is not uniform, but has a darker margin bordering the bands. The complete band exists in a young bird from Haputale in the Norwich Museum, although the only feathers which are barred at all are a few at the sides of the breast 5 the bars, in adults, are continued higher up the breast than in any Indian specimens I have seen, and the chest feathers are very deeply indented with white at the margins, with the brown portions paler than those of the pectoral barred feathers. A further distinctive point in the Ceylonese bird is the large foot, with its gigantic claws, that of the inner toe being equal to the average hind claw in most Nepal specimens. _ In eleven adults from the Himalayas, the hind claw measured straight from base above to tip, varied from 1°65 to 1:9; while in two adults from Ceylon it was 2:1 and 2°05—Legge, “ Lbis,”’ 1878, 201. 39 bis A.—Spilornis spilogaster, Blych. _ The Indian species of this genus, of which at present we reckon at least seven, will need careful re-consideration. I must IN JERDON OR STRAY FEATHERS. 513 say I begin to doubt whether most of them, including the Bornean pallidus, ought not to be lumped. Elgini and mini- mus are very distinct, but the others run into each other terribly, and can in many cases only be separated by their dimensions. - However, Mr. Legge, who has given much attention to the Ceylon race, keeps it distinct, so I reproduce his diagnosis, Blyth applied his name to the Ceylon bird, so that this latter, if considered distinct, must stand as spilogaster. Mr. Legge seems to consider the Ceylon, Sumatran and Singapore birds identical, or differing only in the immature plumage. His diagnosis of this species is:— ~~ “Wing, 15°3 to 16:6. Adult.—Chest uniform brown with- out any transverse stria; throat and cheeks pale iron-grey ;- under surface spots variable in shape and size, surrounded by a dark edge, which is also variable in intensity ; median under wing-coverts concolorous with the chest. Juv.—Head-feathers conspicuously tipped with white; throat and cheeks blackish,” 299 ter.—Butalis muttui, Layard. “Length, 5 inches; of closed wing, 3 inches; of tarsi, 0°56; bill (to the end of gape), 0°7; upper mandible dark brown, with pale tip; lower mandible yellowish; general regem- blance of Bué. latirostris, but of a far more rufous colour; this colour most prevalent on the outer webs of the wing-primaries, the outer tail-coverts, and sides of the breast and belly; throat, belly and vent white; breast rufous ashy; back of the head dark brown; irides light brown.”’—Layard, “A. & M. NV. #7.,” 2nd S., XIII, 127, 1854. “On comparing the Ceylonese Rusty Flycatcher, several examples of which I possess, with specimens of A/seonax ferru- gineus in the British Museum, I find that it is quite distinct from the latter bird. Layard’s description tallies very well with my specimens, which were procured in forest in the north’ © and west of the island, but he makes no mention whatever of the very delicate yellow legs and feet, which are the chief characteristics of the bird ; nor does he speak of the white spot on the lores, nor the conspicuously dark patch on the lower part of the face, contrasting with the rather narrowly confined white of the throat. Notwithstanding the description, short as it is, comes too close to my birds to permit of my considering» them as belonging to another species. Alseonax ferrugineus differs from the Ceylon bird in the much deeper rufous of therump, 514 BIRDS OCCURRING IN INDIA NOT DESCRIBED upper tail-coverts, and margins of the wing-coverts, but more particularly in the rufescent hue of the lower parts, including the under tail-coverts, these being white in the insular form.” — Legge, “ Ibis,” 1878, 203. Captain Legge’s description, or rather remarks, led me at first to suspect that he might possibly have got specimens of Cyornis ( Alseonax) mandelli (S. F., II., 510; VIL, 456); but he says nothing of the conspicuous white ring round the eye, while our bird has no conspicuous patch on the lower part of the face. Comparison is clearly necessary. 688 ter.—Sturnia sinensis, Gm. “Tiength, 7:1; tail, 2°2, rounded; wing, 4:55; tarsus, 1:1; bill, straight, 0°75. “Tris black ; bill blue, with the point yellowish ; feet reddish grey ; upper parts of a very light ashy grey, with the fore- head, lower tail-coverts, scapulars, wing-coverts, throat, abdomen and lower tail-coverts white, more or less tinged, especially in the spring, with rusty ; quills black, with a metallic lustre ; rectrices similar, with a white tipping, running somewhat up the sides of the feathers.”’—David and Oustalet. “All the wing-coverts, ramp, the lateral tail-feathers and the entire lower surface of the body from the breast to the tips of the lower tail-coverts pure white; head, neck, breast and back uniform ashy grey; quills brazen black, somewhat inclining to green; the two middle tail-feathers similar, tipped white; the rest white but pure black towards the base.”—= Wagler. (These two descriptions differ somewhat, but I have no specimen at hand here to compare or correct them by.) 763 6:s.—Otocoris alpestris, Zin. As mentioned (ante, p. 422), my specimens of O. elwest labelled by Mr. Blanford himself are, in my opinion, simply O. pencillata, but as Dresser takes a different view, I reproduce his remarks, as also his description of a/pestris. “ Q. pencillata (Gould). “Inhabits south-eastern Europe, and _ thence ranges east- ward to Thibet. Since writing my article on this species I have examined Mr. Gould’s beautiful series of Shore-Larks, in which are several specimens from Kulu of the so-called IN JERDON OR STRAY FEATHERS. 515. Otocorys longirostris, which fully confirmed the view I previ- ously took,* viz., that these birds are nothing but long-billed and rather large varieties of O. pencillata, which appears to increase somewhat in size as it is found further eastward, and especially in the length of the bill. None of these specimens has the black on the sides of the face divided by white as in O. alpestris ; but the sides of the throat are continuously black, though the white patch on the chin and upper throat is larger than in examples from Lebanon. On the other hand, I find a specimen labelled by Mr. Blanford himself Otocorys elwesz, which is certainly not the same as those from Kulu, as_ the black pectoral shield is divided from the black on the sides of the face by a white patch as in O. alpestris; and it closely agrees with the specimen from Tientsin referred to in my arti- cle on O. pencillata, and resembles ©. alpestris, but is paler, has a longer bill, and the white on the head and throat is en- tirely free from any tinge of yellow. As this article was going to press, Mr. Blanford brought his type of Otocorys elwesi to me for examination ; and, as I find it agrees with Mr. Swinhoe’s Tientsin specimen, O. elwesi should be removed from the syno- nyms of VU. pencillata, it being merely a pale large-billed form of O. alpestris. “QO. ALPESTRIS may be thus described :-— “ Adult Male in Summer.—Forehead and a line over the eye, chin, throat, hinder portion of the auriculars, and portion bordering the facial patch, very pale sulphur yellow or white, with a yellowish tinge; forepart of the crown, lores and a large facial patch extending through and behind the eye and down the sides of the upper neck, together with a large shield extending over thelower part of the neck and upper breast, jet black ; feathers on the sides of the crown above the eye elonga- ted, forming a tuft on each side; crown from the centre, nape, back, rump and scapulars, pale brownish red, greyer on the nape and redder on the rump and upper tail-coverts; dorsal feathers and scapulars with dusky brown centres; quills dark brown, margined and tipped with greyish white ; the first primary, with almost the whole of the outer web, white; wing-coverts pale reddish brown, also with whitish margins and tips; the two central rectrices reddish brown, with dark brown centres ; the remaining tail-feathers black, the outermost having the outer web nearly to the base white, the rest being narrowly edged with whitish at the tip; lower part of the breast, abdomen, and under tail-coverts white; flanks reddish brown, slightly streaked with darker brown on the upper flanks, the * This I have long held also,—Ep, 516 ‘NOTES, reddish colour extending towards the middle of the breast: bill greyish black ; the base of the lower mandible dull greyish ; legs blackish ; iris dark brown. Total length about 7 inches; culmen, 0°65 ; wing, 4°0; tail, 2°8; tarsus, 0°88; hind toe with claw, 0°6; hind claw, 0°35. “* Adult Female.—Resembles the male, but is duller in colour, and the black on the crown is replaced by brown feathers with blackish striations, and the white forehead is similarly obscured. ** Male in Winter—Is much duller and browner than the male above described ; the black on the crown is hidden by the yellowish brown tips to the feathers; the upper parts are wood-brown in tinge, without the pale reddish tinge which pervades the summer dress; the crown is tinged with sulphur- yellow; the black facial mark and the pectoral shield are smaller in extent, the former marked with sulphur-yellow; and the throat and portions of the head and neck, which in summer are yellowish white, are now primrose-yellow. “ Nestling.—Crown, sides of the head, nape, back, and scapu- lars blackish brown, marked with round spots of a dull buffy white or pale ochre-colour; quills blackish brown, with a metallic gloss and broadly edged with pale fulvous buff; secon- daries and wing-coverts broadly tipped with pale buffy white ; tail very short, blackish brown, with a metallic tinge, the outer feather with the outer web yellowish buff, the remaining rectrices bordered with fulvous buff ; chin and throat buffy white, slightly marked with blackish; through and behind the eye an indistinct buffy white streak; breast and flanks blackish brown, marked with yellowish buff; abdomen and under tail- coverts white.”—Dresser’s Birds of Europe. Hotes. Mr. SHARPE REMARKS, Ibis, 1878, 418, that Cyornis unicolor, Blyth, and C. cyanopolia, Boie, are identical. Ihave already, S. F., V., 489 2, pointed out that this is not, in my opinion, the case ; and having a very large series of both forms, I have no hesitation in saying that I consider the two distinct. These small Flycatchers require very careful examination, and it is not by a mere casual glance at their general contour and coloration that they can be disposed of. A large series of each form is moreover essential, as it is only when these are seen to be constant throughout huge series from the same locality, that the specific value of the minute differences that NOTES. 517 separate so many of the species of this group can be fully recognized. FRIENDS ARE CONTINUALLY reporting to me as novelties, matters, that though pointed out by me ten years ago in the Ibis or elsewhere, are not recorded in Jerdon, and have not been noticed in Stray FeatueErs, and are hence unknown to the mass of Indian ornithologists. One of these is, that Corvus cornix, the Royston Crow, the Hoodie Cra’ of Scotland, is extremely common during the winter in the extreme N. W. Punjab, Trans-Indus, occasionally occurring as a straggler, a little further east, Cis-Indus, IT HAS BEEN usual of late years to designate the Southern Yellow-naped Woodpecker, Chrysophlegma xanthoderus, (Mal- herbe). Jerdon and Blyth both called it by some oversight C. chlorophanes (Vieillot), but it seems generally admitted that Vieillot never bestowed any such name on it, so that that name cannot stand. The first name really applied to the species was chlorigaster, by Jerdon, in his second Supplement in No. 31, the December 1844 number of the Madras journal of Literature and Science, page 138, and by this name the bird must stand. No doubt Malherbe’s British Museum name for this species dates from 1844, but it was not published, and remained a MSS name until it was published towards the end of 1845, in the Revue Zoologique, page 402. Even, admitting as I have been told that No. 31 of the Madras journal, though dated December, did not actually issue until February 1845, Jerdon’s name still has precedence of Malherbe’s. Mr. Leage in ats charming history of the “ Birds of Ceylon,” ealls our Indian Hoopoo, U. nigripennis, Gould, with 1856 as date of publication, but page 725 of Moore and Horsfield’s cata- logue was not published until after January 1858 (see date on page 752), while Reichenbach’s name ceylonensis, which I suppose must stand, dates from 1851. It seems to me somewhat doubtful whether Gmelin’s name ought to be retained for the Crested Black and Chestnut Bun- ting that we now call Melophus melanicterus. He thus describes the species :— ; “ Fringilla nigra, alarum caudaeque margine ferrugineo ; ab- dominis maculis paucis albis,.” : 518 NOTES. “¢ Habitat in Macao, linote magnitudine, 44 pollices longa; rostrum pedes que fuscescentes.” The diagnosis is absolutely wrong. The wings and tail are not margined with ferruginous; there are no white spots on the abdomen. The dimensions are too small. Latham, one of the authorities quoted—in fact the above is his description trans- lated—says of the Java Sparrow that it is of the same size as this. I feel by no means certain that either Buffon’s bird, or Ray’s ‘‘ Small black and orange-colored bird, refers to this present Bpecies.”’ The most conspicuous thing in the bird we call melanicterus is the crest, but Latham, who is really the basis on which the name melanicterus of Gmelin rests, says nothing about it. This may be because Buffon’s plate on which again Latham founded his description was bad; but J can’t jind Buffon’s plate. Gmelin, Latham, &c., all quote the pl. Hulum., No. 224, f. 1. Now P. HE. 224 in my copy is Jacarins (Tanagra jacarina, Lin.), and there is only one figure on it, and pl. 223, which has two figures, has for the first Moineau du Senegal, ( Fringilla senegalla, Lin.), whereas the bird described by Latham and Jerdon is Moineau de Macao, of which I have not been able to turn up the plate amongst the P. E., though doubtless it must occur. On the whole the name melanicterus seems to me doubtfully deserving of retention, and if discarded, it must apparently be replaced by cristata, of Vigors, P. Z.8., 1831, p. 35, which certainly applies to this species. ] AM UNABLE TO DISCOVER any valid reason for superseding Blyth’s name Jeucopygialis, (J. A.S8. B., XVIII., 809, 1849) for the Malayan Grey-rumped Spine Tail by S. Miiller’s manuscript name coracina, which was only published by Schlegel in 1857 (Hand. Dierk. I. 221, 479; vogels, pl. 2, f. 14.) The only pretext for this seems to be that Boie, in 1844, gave the name leucopygia to an African Spine Tail, sabini, of J. E. Gray. Now, in the first place, I myself am greatly disposed to doubt whether these African Spine Tails are truly congeneric with our bird. I should be greatly inclined to- restrict Chetura to the American Spine Tails to place giganteus, nudipes, &e.,in Hodgson’s genus Hirundapus (or as amended by Sclater Hirundinapus,) and to create a new genus for the African Spine Tails, and another for sylvatica and our present bird. But setting this aside, accepting the whole as Chetura, setting aside also the fact that Boie’s name is a dead synonym—a NOTES. 519 fact which according to me (and as I have previously shown the Brit. Assoc. Code) entirely prevents its interfering with any other name—setting all this aside, certainly leucopygia does not kill ¢eucopygialis. No one suppresses viridanus, because there is a viridis in the genus, and why suppress leucopygialis because there is a leucopygia? Pace the great authorities in Europe, I think Blyth’s name must certainly stand. I may NoTE that Dendrocitia assimilis, nobis (S. F., V., 117) is not as has been suggested D. sinensis, any more than it is D. himaloyensis. The former is distinguished by having the upper tail-coverts pure white, (not light French grey), and the whole of the two centre tail-feathers black, instead of having the basal two-thirds of these grey. In both these respects assimilis agrees with himalayensis, but as regards colour of throat, sides of neck, face and back, it agrees with sinensis, while its bill differs from both. WriTING OF PRaTincoLa InsiIGNIs from the Gorakpur and Bustee districts, Mr. EH. W. Cleveland says :— “YT have looked very carefully for this species ever since I got your letter, but have only succeeded in securing five more up to date. “‘T have seen and shot perhaps as many more, but have un- fortunately lost them in the dense cane fields which these birds usually frequent, and whence, if not killed outright on the spot, it is impossible to recover them. “Tt takes a good deal of patient fagging to find these birds as they occur rather sparingly in these districts. “Judging from my own experience, I should say that in the eourse of a ten-mile ride across a stretch of flat open country, thickly dotted with cane fields (their favourite haunts) one would scarcely meet with more than a single pair of these birds, whereas upwards of twenty P. indica would probably be seen in that distance.” Mr. Brooks, NoT LONG ago, (ante p. 139), pointed out that Mr. Seebohm was in error in applying Hodgson’s name alboides, to the Wagtail to which heretofore the name Jluzonensis, Scopoli, has been (and erroneously) assigned. According to Hodgson’s own plates, his term alboides, clearly refers to the other black-backed form hodgsoni of G. R. Gray, and [ think that even in his original description, which I now reproduce, the same may be traced, 66 520 NOTES. ' As Mr. Brooks says, we must, I apprehend, adopt Mr. Gould’s name leucopsis (P. Z. S., 1837, 78) for this species. Mr. Hodgson’s description (Asiatic Researches, X1X., 191, 1836) runs as follows :-— ‘“Moracibia ; Proprr, Species, new; ALBOIDES, nobis. ‘The oriental analogue of Alta, cui simill. ; but clearly distin- guishable by its white throat, its completely black neck, and the sreater blanching of its wings, which, when closed, show nothing ut white, except on the tertials, “ Colour and size of Mature Male.—Forehead, cheeks, and throat, white, divided by a narrow black line from the gape ; back of the head, with the whole neck, breast, shoulders, body above, and eight ‘central tail-feathers, jetty ; ; four lateral caudals, — with the body below and greatest portion of the closed wing, white; quills, black internally, and opertly so on the tertials, which, however, have very broad margins of white ; bill and legs, jet ; iris, brown ; eight inches long by 11°5 wide, ‘and less loz. in weight ; tail, 3: 15; tarsus, 0°94; central toe, 0°56; hind, 0°31 ; its claw, 0°18; wings, 2°5 inches chore of tail. ieerciet fall ihe changes of plumage to which this species is liable, I still think, I may safely say, that the female (like the young) is slaty above, and white below, with a black gorget on the breast, and a blackish zone round the cheeks ; wings, mostly black brown, with a narrow white edging.” FoLuowina JERDON AND Bryrtu, we in India generally apply the generic term Venilia to the Brown and Ruddy Woodpeckers, id pyrrhotis,” Blyth, and ‘ porphyromelas,” Bote. Salvadori, Cabanis and other purists apply Cabanis’ generic name Lepocestes. Mr. Gray, as I think correctly, and certainly in strict accor- dance with the Code, adopts Bonaparte’s name Blythipicus, and we must, it seems to me, follow him. The names stand in this order :— Venilia.— Bonaparte, 1850, but not Duponch of 1829. Blythipicus.—Bonaparte, 1854. Pyrrhopicus nee } Malherbe, 1861. Lepocestes : Phioistes \ Cabanis, 1863. The purists reject Blythipicus, a capital name in my opinion, on the ground forsooth that it is barbarous, asif the whole of us, at any rate of the Teutonic and Celtic stocks, were not bar- barians ourselves. The Code affords no pretence, even for rejecting Blythipicus. NOTES. 521 Toe wate Mr. Swinuoe observed (P. Z. 8., 1871, p. 365,) that he had seen a specimen of the true Anthus obscurus from India. I have ever since been trying to verify this. I wrote to Mr. Swinhoe about it, but got no answer. I have never seen an Indian specimen of this bird, nor have I ever met with any- one who has. India is utterly outside the range of this species, and I cannot but conclude that Mr. Swinhoe was mistaken. Under these circumstances, although on Mr. Swinhoe’s autho- rity it has stood there for many years, I have now excluded it from my list of the Birds of India; after all Swinhoe may have meant to refer to spinoletta so commonly in former times con- founded with it. IN THE LAST NUMBER of the Jbis, the editors remark :— “Tt appears not to be understood by some naturalists that specific names may be substantives. Linnzus used many such, e.g., Turdus merula, Emberiza cirlus, and Fringilla spinus, in each of which cases, it will be observed, the specific name is of a different gender from the generic, the two terms being placed in apposition. In the face of this, certain naturalists do not hesitate to violate the plainest rules of Latinity, in order to bring their specific and generic names to the same termination. Not to speak of Mr. Sharpe’s Cerchneis tinnuncula (!), Mr. Dresser has lately attempted to turn agricola into an adjectival form (Acrocephalus agricolus, Dresser, B. of Kur., pt. 53), not considering that it is a masculine noun, though ending in a.— Surely no one who has been to school can forget. ** O fortunati nimium sua si bona norint. “ Agricole!” “Inthe new number of “Stray Fratuers”’ Mr. Hume, in a similar frame of mind, proposes to convert “ eremita’—another masculine noun—into an adjective, and tries to persuade us to call our old friend Fregilus graculus, “ Graculus eremitus.” Now, in the first place, I bee to point out that Jerdon himself assigned the name agricolus and not agricola, and that there is not only nothing to show that he did not intend to apply the word agricolus as an adjective, but an irresistible presumption that he did so intend it. If it be said that there is no such adjective in classical Latin, the answer is that at least half the adjectives in use in scientific specific nomenclature have no com- plete classical warrant. The greatest purists in nomenclature use a nearly similarly compounded adjective monticolus, and Linné himself gives us rusticolus, (S. N., I., 125, No. 7), as well as rusticola, and though doubtless the adjective agricolaris would have been more correct, there is nothing so glaringly offensive ae NOTES. in Jerdon’s own name agricolus, as should demand its rejection in our scientific dog Latin. Linné himself never exclusively adhered to strictly classically constructed specific names, eg. “ arauna,” “ baltimore,” “ lory” (can any thing be more uzclassi- cal than this last ending in a y?), and on what grounds therefore are we to insist that Jerdon’s adjective “ agricolus” must be re- jected as unclassical and changed to the substantive “ agricola ?” In the second place, I don’t think that the editors have quite hit the right nail on the head when they suggest that the non-agreement of genders in the instances cited by them is due to the specific name being a substantive. By no possible construction ean hypoleucus be a substantive, but Linné gives us Tringa (fem.) hypoleucos. At first it may be suggested that he did not decline words derived from the Greek ; but this is not so, he invariably did, e.g., Bradypus tridactylus, Myrmecophaga tridactyla; Falco leucocephalus, Columba leucocephala, Fringilla erythropthalma, and many others. And the instance above given is by no means a solitary one, take, for instance, Motacilla schenobenus or Motacilla phenicu- gus, in neither of which cases can the specific name, it seems to me, be construed as other than an adjective. Long ago I used to puzzle over this, but I soon found out that in almost every instance of such non-agreement in the whole Systema Narura, specific names not agreeing in gender with the generic name commenced with a capital. The few exceptions are all, I think, save one, obvious misprints. I forget the others now, but one I remember is Fringilla bengalus, which, of course, ought to have commenced with a capital. Looking closer I found that in all cases these specific names commencing with a capital were, whether adjectives or substantives, existing appellations, appropriated by Linné from the ancients, or his ornithological predecessors, or lastly from the vulgar tongues. Thus the non-agreement of gender has nothing to do with the specific name being a sub- stantive, but merely indicates that it was some one else’s name that Linné, more scrupulous than many of his successors, did not feel himself justified in altering. I in no way dispute the editors’ dictum that many specific names are substantives originally ; I only contend that all are used as adjectives, and that Linné himself either had recourse to an existing name, which he then reproduced intact, or used adjectives which he declined. As to Graculus eremitus, that is due to a final correction of ‘my printer’s classical reader; had J intended any change I should have written eremitis; the name eremita is printed NOTES. 523 with a capital and has stood unchanged in my list for long. Indeed I should as soon 1 think, now that I understand the matter, of altering Sula piscator into piscatria or Lowia enucleator into enucleatriz, as I should of altering eremita into eremitus; all three are pre-Linnzan names, thought worthy of retention, intact, by the Ritter Carl, and not now to be mangled by meaner hands. Possibly one bond fide slip does occur where, despite the use of adjectives, he has not attended to gender, e.g. :— Turdus atricapilla ! the atricapilla not being commenced with a capital. [ven here it seems probable that, though forgetting the capital, Linné intended to show by keeping the adjective feminine, that he adopted his specific name out of Brisson’s title Merula atri- OAPILLA capitis b. spet. However, as he did omit the capital, and did not, as in the case of Fringilla bengalus, adopt a simple existing appellation in its integrity, I should hold that we were justified in ¢his case in declining the adjective properly, and in assuming that the retention of the feminine termination is here a misprint, (just as clearly is the 2 in ochropdus, or albiulla for albicilla,) which we are fully justified in correcting. On the whole I cannot doubt that our editors will be deeply gratified at finding themselves justified in relieving Mr. Dresser of the sad imputation of never having been to school, and at discovering that instead of that unpardonable sin against “the plainest rules of Latinity,” to wit the confusion of a masculine noun in a, with the case of an adjective, Mr. Dresser has only, humbly following in the footsteps of Carl v. Linné, reproduced in its integrity the specific name that he adopted from a predecessor. SINCE MY REMARKS about Chaulelasmus angustirostris (sup. p- 493) were printed off, I obtained a second specimen of this species, to-day, February 19th, in the Calcutta market. More than onespecimen of this species has, therefore, this year straggled as far east as Calcutta, Indeed in all human probability two having been actually captured within the limited area that supplies our market, a considerable number must have visited Lower Bengal. 524 | Aetters to the Editor, S1r,—I wish to place on record the occurrence in India He of the Malayan Tiger Bittern (Goisakius melano- ophus). ot subjoin a description of the specimen, though it is perhaps hardly worth printing, as you yourself have minutely described some of the species in Stray Fearuers, Vol. II., p. 313. The specimen was a male, and the following are its dimen- sions ‘taken in the flesh) :— Length, 19°62; extent, 37; wing, 10°37; tail, 3°62; tarsus, 2°69 ; bill from gape, 2°37 ; bill at front, 1°81; middle toe with claw, 2, without claw, 1°81; hind toe with claw, 125, with- out claw, 1:06. The third primary was the longest; the second and fourth being sub-equal, and about 0°12 of an inch shorter, while the first was 0°81 less than the third. Crown of head and nape black ; the feathers of the occiput lengthened into a full crest, and each irregularly marked with a white spot across its centre, and a smaller white tip; the fea- thers of the forehead and above the eyes black, with ochreous instead of white spots, forming an obscure bar above the eye ; cheeks and sides of throat pale ochreous, with narrow zig-zag lines of black across the feathers ; the mantle chestnut, freckled and irregularly barred with narrow zig-zag lines of black ; upper tail-coverts dull black, with white dots. Tail, above, dark slaty or bluish black ; quills black, tipped with white, the base of the white tinged with chestnut and mottled with black; greater coverts of first three primaries black, broadly tipped white; the base of the white on the outer webs tinged with chestnut; rest of the greater primary coverts chestnut, with white tip, black midrib, and black freckles below the white tip; secondaries and tertiaries dull black, broadly tipped with dull chestnut, which is closely freckled with black blotches and spots, and replaced at the extreme tip by white less densely freckled; two or three small feathers at the angle of the wing pure white. Under primary coverts pale ochreous, closely barred with black, and the larger feathers broadly tipped white; rest of under wing-coverts barred black and white. Chin and throat white, faintly tinged with ochreous, and with an obscure central streak of black dots; throat rich chestnut, minutely banded with black bars; centre of breast like the throat, with two lateral streaks of ochreous (one on either side) formed by some of the feathers continuously being paler chest- nut and free from all black but a few dots. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR. 525 Abdominal feathers pale ochreous chestnut with small dots and obscure bars of black, but mostly with a white central streak; elongated feathers of the abdominal train paler ochreous, very faintly and sparsely dotted with black, and with the central streak of white more apparent ; coverts of tibia ochreous, mottled with dull black; under tail-coverts white, tinged on their outer margins with ochreous and speckled with black dots. Bare skin in front of the eye and about the base of the bill green ; legs and feet greenish olive; claws pale plumbeous. This Bittern was sent to me on January 38rd by a friend, who procured it in rather a curious manner. He was passing through the forest at an elevation of about 2,500 feet above sea level, when he observed the Bittern fly heavily intoa tree. Imme- diately it alighted, it was struck by an Hagle, which was carry- ing it off, but dropped it on hearing my friend shout. On reaching the ground, the unlucky Bittern was pounced upon by my friend’s dogs, but fortunately rescued before it was much damaged as a specimen. Near the spot of its capture is a small swamp in a clearing, and within two miles at an elevation of over 3,000 feet are two other small swamps in the forest ; but none of them, one would think, large enough or with sufficient covert to attract a Bittern. The bird was in very good condition, with large quantities of fat under the skin and round its entrails, and from this it would appear that, if a straggler, it had not recently arrived from a long flight. Mynaut, TRAVANCORE. Frank W. BourDi.ton. [This is not the first occurrence of this species in India Of- course in Ceylon, Layard made it known many years ago, but about 18 months ago Mr. Inglis procured a specimen at Dil- koosha, North-East Cachar, and sent it to me, and it will duly appear in our second list of the birds of North-East Cachar. —A. O. H.] Sir,—It may interest you and some of your readers to know that a Woodcock was shot Jast Christmas day, about two miles from Tanna, by R. D. Cairns, of the Oriental Bank, here. It was flushed in some bushes at the foot of some low hills near some marshy ground. I send you the skin. This is the first instance I know of a Woodcock being seen in this part of India. I see that in a note at p. 423, of Vol. I of Srray FraTHERS, yousay that the Pintailed Snipe is rare in Western India. That is not the case at any rate about Bombay where the Pintail Snipe is quite as common as the sco/opacinus. Indeed about Tanna and 596 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR. in the Snipe grounds across the Bombay Harbour you will get more of the Pintail Snipe than of ‘the other. In Guzerat, the Pintailis not nearly so common, but this Christmas I found in a bag of nineteen couple of Snipe there were five couple of Pintails, an unusually large proportion I think in Guzerat. On the 1st December last, at Gorebunder, about 20 miles from here, I caught two young painted Snipe, about half grown; they were unable to fly. Is this not rather late to see birds so oung ? : The Bittern, I believe, is not an uncommon bird, but it is sel- dom seen here. In eight years I have only seen three ; one I shot on the 22nd October 1877 on the flats, half a mile from this club close to the railway, and within 200 yards of the foras road which crosses the flat from Bombay to Worlee; the second I saw, but did not get a shot at, on 12th January 1878 on the Bhewundy tank; and the third I shot on the 24th February 1878 at Panwell. J. D. Inverarity. BomBay ; ~ January 13th, 1879. Sir,—A fact connected with the breeding of Painted Snipemay interest you. I was informed yesterday that there were some Snipe seen in the bed of an almost dry river running past my bungalow, and went down with my gun to get them. My in- formant pointed to a spot almost as bare as the palm of my hand, and incredulously I walked up to it, when up got a Painted Snipe at my feet which I shot, and at the report of the gun another rose close by, which I also knocked over. A lad, who was with me, then pointed out to me what was evidently the nest of the bird, (a lump of mud and slime trodden down in the centre into a hollow) containing one egg, and on my return another egg, precisely similar, was taken out of the female bird. As neither I nor my brother officers, some of whom have had long experience in the Deccan, were aware that this was a breeding place for Painted Snipe, I think perhaps you may be interested to learn the fact. C. GuBBINS, AURUNGABAD, Hyderabad Contingent. 12th February 1879. Sir, —I hope that the five birds added to the Avifauna of Sind and of India on the authority of Mr. Murray’s unlabelled skins 5. F., VII, p. 114, will not be included in the list of the Birds India LETTERS TO THE EDITOR. 527 without further proof. You have yourself pointed out how imperfect the evidence is, but still you apparently feel dis- posed to accept the species as Indian. When you reflect how many years and how much, labour have been necessary to expel Hmberiza hortulana and Phylloscopus trochilus from the Indian list, and how an erroneous locality, once admitted, sticks like a burr, causing all kinds of blunders, I am sure you will agree with me that it is much better utterly to, ignore doubtful species than to admit them even with the most liberal expenditure of notes of interrogation. What is the evidence in favour of the occurrence of Ruticilla mesoleuca, Saxicola leucomela, Lanius auriculatus, Emberiza mili- aria and Linaria cannabina in Sind ? There is not a single other species obtained by Mr. Murray, the occurrence of which is at all surprising. So many common Indian forms stragele into the Indus Valley at times, that there is, so far as I can see, nothing in the list more remarkable than some of the species I myself obtained, nor is there any, the occurrence of which is /_ more exceptional than that of Mammalia like Fedis viverrina and Corvus duvanceli, both of which I know exist in Sind. Corvus umbrinus, the only other western species procured by Mr. Murray, I have shot on the Baluchistan Coast, where I found it common, not 100 miles west of Karachi, and I am only sur- prised it has not been shot in Sind before. But the other five species are all said to have been procured by one native collec- tor at one locality within a very short period. I feel assured there is same mistake. I no more believe the birds were procured in Sind than I believe that Mr. Murray found Unio margaritifera or fresh water Cerites in the Manchhar lake ; of course the same explanation will not hold good in both cases. The supposed Unio margaritifera was perhaps U. marginalis or some allied form, and the “ fresh water Cerites” probably Melania tuberculata, but of course I do not doubt that the birds are correctly identified. All I urge is, that they be not included in the list of Sind species without additional evidence. W. T. Buanrorp. Catourta, February 15th, 1879. S1r,—As regards the Pink-headed Duck, I have never shot one, neither do I know any one who has.* My friend, Mr. Anderson, says there is a stuffed specimen in the Museum at Lucknow. He does not know who shot it, or who presented it to the Museum. I have always been a sportsman, and I have shot a great deal out in India and at home, still I have never come * See my remarks, ante, p. 492.—Hd, 598 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR. across the Pink-headed Duck, and I can hardly think the bird can be found anywhere in Oudh.* Mr. Anderson, who was for many years Deputy Commissioner at Baraich, and is a good sportsman and naturalist, tells me he has never seen the duck. I was five years at Kheri, then one of the best sporting. districts on this side of India, and in those days I had the opportunity of shooting a great deal more than is now possible, and I certainly never came across the Pink-headed Duck. Red-headed Pochards, Mallard, Pin-tails are all more or less common on big waters in the north and north-eastern parts of Oudh. Even the large Bustard (Hupodotis edwards) was then procurable in two places in the Kheri District. Maurice TWEEDIE, Major. I seem to have neglected to furnish any description of 9762. bis.—-ALAUDULA PISPOLETTA, Pali. Of this I quote Dresser’s description, as it applies to the birds we get here, but I must note that this is not apparently what Radde and v. Homeyer call pispoletés (a much greyer bird with much longer tail and longer tertiaries,) but what v. Homeyer named (J. f. O. 1873, 197) heinet. According to him, no mean authority, the true pispoletta has never been obtain- ed in Europe, while heinet, which is clearly what Dresser calls pispoletta, occurs equally in Southern Russia and Western Asia. It is this latter form that we obtain commonly in the plains of the Punjab and the interior of the Himalayas ; whether the much greyer form with the long tail, say 2°6 or moreand the longer tertiaries also occurs Within our limits, I cannot say. It has been sent from Chinese Thibet, but I have not seen it from our own territories. Dresser says :— Adult Male.—Upper parts dark earth grey, the feathers having a central dark mark ; quills dark brown, edged with dirty white ; secondaries darker in the centre and lighter towards the edge, the inuer secondaries much shorter than in C. brachy- dactyla, reaching only to within about an inch of the tip of the first primary ; wing-coverts dark brown, broadly edged with light earth brown ; outermost tail- feathers white, having a black line on the inner webs, the next in order blackish brown on the inner webs, white on the outer webs, the remainder blackish brown, imperceptibly edged with pale earth-brown, the centre ones washed with light brown ; above and below the eye a pale, dull, buffy white stripe ; chin white; sides of the neck spotted with dark brown ; auriculars marked with brown; under parts white, on the breasts and flanks striped with dark brown ; beak dull horn- colour; legs light brown; iris dark brown. Total length, 6:6 inches; culmen, 0°5 ; wing, 3'8 ; tail, 2:3; tarsus, 0°85 ; hind toe with claw, 0°6. “ Female.—Similar to the male, but somewhat smaller in size.” ——————— * T possess two specimens shot near Lucknow itself.—Ep. End of Vol. VII. INDEX. Axszorti, Blyth. Trichastoma 277 Abrornis cantator, Tick. ... 218 —--,,-— flaviventris, Jerd. 399 —--,,-— flavogularis, God.- Aust. 147 Abrornis griseifrons, @. B. Gr. 399 Abrornis maculipennis, Bly. 399 —-—,,— superciliaris, Tick. 399 —--,—— xanthoschistus, Hodges xx tie 147 Acanthoptila _nipalensis, Hodgs. ... 459, 460 Accentor fulvescens, Severt. 406 —--,,— montanellus, Pall. 405 Accipiter melaschistus, Hume. 50 333 Accipiter nisus, Lin, ... 33, 73, 180, 197, 468 —--,,-— virgatus, Reinw. 94, 197 accipitrinus, Pall. Asio 75, 162,180, 200, 253, 316 Aceros subruficollis, Blyth. 46 Acridotheres fuscus, Wagl. 95, 221, 291 —— Ce nae Lath. oC 221, 291 Acridotheres mabrattensis, Sykes. we . 221n, Acridotheres tristis, Lin. 64, 84, 97, 221, 262, 290 Acrocephalus agricolus, Jerd.. a 217, 397 Acrocephalus dumetorum, Bly. . 38, 95, 183, 217, 283, 397 Acrocephalua atentorius, SG By... -. 95, 216 Actinodura egertoni, Gould. 153 ——-,,—— khasiana, G.- Aust. 153 Actitis glareola, Lin. ‘89, 97, 228 —,,— hypoleucus, Zin. . 89, 228 —,,-— ochropus, Lin. 89, 228 Actodromas temminckii, Leisl. " 303 acuta, Lin. Dafila 93, 94, 232, 312, 493 adamsi, Moore. Montifrin- gilla a sae wa 49 adamai, Jerd. Prinia _,,, 895 A@don familiaris, Ménétr., 112,183 Aigialitis usiatica, Pall. .., 438 —--,,-— cantiana, Lath.67, 227, 483 —--,,—-— curonicus, Gn. 67,88 —--,,-— dubia, Scop. 227, 299, 483 —--,,-— gevffroyi, Wagl. 226, 234, 483 —--,,— mongola, Paill.,,, 227, 299, 438, 483 —--,,-— minuta, Pail. 227, 300, 483 —--,,-— nigrifrons, Cuv. 438 — -,,-— vereda, Gould... 438 Mgithaliscus leucogenys, Moore. ... ts 404 AQgithina tiphia, Lin... 215 egocephala, Lin. Limosa 97, 302, 483 egyptiacus, Hengl. Por- phyrio aa 21 segyptius, Forsk. Merops 181 smodium, Hodgs. Couosto- ma soe tee 386 gnea, Lin. Carpophaga ... 224, 424 — Vieili. Chaptia 94, 211, 273 senobarbus, Zem. Allotriugs 456 zruginosus, Lin. Circus 75, 112, 200, 250 esalon, Zunst. Falco ee 179 Ainonyee seheriz, Tick... 208 =» vigorsi, Sykes. 79 affinis, Blyth. Batrachos- tomus - 148 affinis, MeCleil. Coracias 40, 259 —-,,— Gray. Cypselus 77, 97, 181, 202 —-,,— Hodgs. Dumeticola 37, 142, 394 —-,,— Hutton. Hydrocissa 205 —-,,— Reinh. Larus... 463 —-,— Gould. Milvus .., 44,200 — ihe Mirafra ,., 223 »— Tyt. Ninox iat 364 —-,,— Zick. Phylloscopus 95, 218, 236, 510 —-,,— Blyth. Pyrrhulauda 64 —-,-- —,,— Sylvia 58, 62,95, 219 —-,,— —,,— Taccocua ,,. 94, 208 agile, Tick, Piprisoma ,,, 94, 209 agricolensis, Hume. Jerdo- nia 396 agricolus, Jerd. Acrocepha- Jus Dy 217, 397 Agrodroma campestris, Lin 95, 112, 220 Agrodroma similis, Jerd.... 95 —-,,— sordida, Rippel. 183 Ahinga melanogaster, Penn. 507 akool, Sy%es. Porzana_... 229, 489 Alauda arvensis, Zin. 185 —,,— dulcivox, Hodgs.... 139 —-,,— gulgula, Frankl. ... 86, 94, 139, 185, 223 —-,,— malabarica, Scop. 95 Alaudula heinei, v. Hom.... 528 —--,,-— pispoletta, Pall. 528 ——-,,-— raytal, Blyth. 295 alba, Belon. Ciconia 90, 230, 306 =-,,- Sparrm. Gygis 065 447 --,,— Lin. Herodias eco 189 --,,- Lin. Motacilla Noe 136 albellus, Zin. Mergellus .., 188, 233 albicilla, Pall. Erythros- terna 182, 212) 237, 277 albicilla, Zin. Halisetus .,, 112, 341, 467 albicollis, Veezl2. Leucocer- ca ... 211, 276 albicollis, Swains. Rhyn- chops 93, 94, 99, 233, 314, 497 albidus, Cuv. Spilornis ink 341 albirostris, Shaw. Hydro- cissa, . 204, 366 albiventris, Fairb. Callene 33, 35 albocristatus, Vzg. Euplo- camus 00 429 albofrontata, Frankl. Leu- cocerca.. 80, 182, 211 albofrontata, Layard. ‘Stur- nia 409 albogularis, Bly. Dumetia 95 alboides, Hodgs. Motacilla 13, 139, albonigra, Hwme. Saxicola albonotatus, Zick. Capri- muleus .. ... 208, 257 albus, “Tem. Porphyrio Alcedo beavani, Wald. .., —-,,— bengalensis, Gmel. 77, 204, 260 —-,,— grandis, Blyth. .. 372 —-,,— ispida, Lin. fi 112 alchata, Zin. Pterocles ... 161 Alcippe atriceps, Jerd. ... 383 —-,,-— bourdilloni, Hume. 36 —-,,-— nigrifrons, Blyth. 383 —-,,-— poiocephala, Jerd. 82 ; ( Porphyrio v | alleni, Thomp. oats 457 Allotrius xnobarbus, Jem. 456 Allotrius melanotie, Hodgs. 456 —-,,— xanthochloris, Hodgs. coc 456 alpestris, Zin. Otocorya ... 422, 514 alpina, Zin. Tringa ... 228, 487 Alseonax ferrugineus, Hodgs. 513 —--,,-— latirostris, Raf. 212 Alsocomus puniceus, Zick. 224 althzea, Hume. Sylvia ... 60, 62 altumi, Homey2. Cygnus... 105 amandava, Lin. Hstrilda... 95, 222, 294. amauropterus, Pears. Hal- cyon aad i 260 Ammomanes phesnicura, Frankl. 85, 225 anetheta, Scop. Sterna 178 Anas boschas, Zin. 67, 492 —,,— caryophyllacea, Lath. 95, 232, 492 —,,— melanonotus, Penn. 507 —,,— pecilorhyncha, Gm. 67, 98, 492, 507 — pekilorhyncha, Penn. 92, 232 Anastomus oscitans, Bodd, 91, 110, 113, 188, 189, 231, 310, 467, 491 aneiteumensis, Zristr. Por- phyrio 3 sc0. KO) abel Gelochelidon 93, 94, anglica, Mont. 313 Sterna ... 234, 497 angustirostris, Ménétr. Chaulelasmus 493, 523 angustirostris, Ménéir Querquedula Use 493 Anorrhinus austeni, Jerd. 167, 499 -,,—— tickelli, Bly.... 167 Anser cinereus, Meyer. .., 231,310, 491 —,,— indicus, Gm. ee 310 —,,— —-,,-— Lath. 491 —,— segetum, Gm. , 441 Anthipes moniliger, Hodgs. 376 Anthropoides virgo, Lin. 88 Anthus arboreus, Bechst.... 177 —-,,—— blackistoni, Swink. 177 —-,,—— campestris, Zin... 63 —-,-— maculatus, Hodgs. 219, 287 —-,,-— montanus, Bly. Gf Jerd.| ... ine 461 Anthus otscurus, Gm. ... 521 —-,,-— pratensis, Lin. .., 402, 455 —-,,-— spinoletta, Zin. .,. 462, 521 —-,,-— trivialis, Zim. ... 186, 220, 288 antigone, Zin. Grus 227 antiquorum, Zem. Pheni- copterus 491 antiquorum, Bon, Porphy- rio See 13 apiaster, Lin. “Merops 00 115 aplonotus, Blyth. Machlo- lophus ___.. ee 405 aplonotus, Bly. Parus ... 405 apus, Lin. Cypselus ... 181, 365 Aquila clanga, Pail. we 74, 94, 197 aquila, Zin. Fregata ae 447 Aquila fulvescens, Gray,... 111, 339 —-,,— hastata, Less. .., 198, 244, 254 —-,,— mogilnik, S.G. Gm. 73,94, 197, 244, 335, 338 —,,— nevioides, Cup. 166 —-,,— nipalensis, Hodgs. 197, 338 —-,,— pennata, Gmel. 174 —-,,— vindhiana, Prank, 54, 74, 197 Arachnechthra asiatica, Lath. 5d Arachnechthra _asiatica, Lin. ne 208 Arachnechthra brevirostris, Blanf. : 55 Arachnechthra flammaxil- laris, Bly. . 40 Arachnothera, ‘longirostra, Lath. ‘ 35 Arachnothera simillima, Hume. oat 170 Anthus 177 arboreus, Bechst. { Pipastes 109 Ardea cinerea, Linn. 67, 90. 189, 230, 307, 467, 490 —,,— garzetta, Lin. mn 467 —,,— goliat, Tem. aoe 490 —,,— intermedia, Hasselé. 467 —,,— purpurea, Lin. 39, 90, 189 230, 307, 467, 490 —,,— torra, Buch. ve 467 ardeola, Payk. Dromas ... 186 Ardeola grayi, Sykes. 28, 39, 67, 91, 230, 308, 490 Ardetta cinnamomea, Gm. 95, 171, 177, 191, 231, 490, 504 —-,,— flavicollis, Zath. 308, 490 504 —-,,-— minuta, Lin. fl —-,,-— sinensis, Gm. 52, 91, 94, 9? 177, 191, 308, 490, 504 arenarius, Bly. Lanius . 108 —,,— Pall. Pterocles 66, 112, 161, 186 argala, Lath. Leptoptilus 25, 30, 90, 187, 229, 306 argentatus, Zen. Larus ... 463 argoonduh, Sykes. Coturnix 157 argoondah, Sykes. Perdi- oula 87, 157 Arrengha blighi, Holdsw.. 378 Artamus fuscus, Vieild. geinh 273 arundinacea, Lath. Sali- caria Ry ae iil 185 arvensis, Zin. Alauda asiatica, Pall. Aigialitis .., 438 —-,,-— Lath. Arachnech- thra ‘ 55, 208 asiatica, Lin. Cinnyris 79, 267 —-,,-— Lath. Cyanops ... 263 —-,,-— —,,— Perdicula.., 87, 158, 225 —-,,-— Jerd. Perdicula,.. 159 asiaticus, Lath. Capri- muleus 112, 169, 177, 203 asiaticus, Swains. Cinclus, 142, 379 »y-— Lath. Xenorhyn- chus 51, 67, 90, 94, 230 Asio accipitrinus, Pall. ... 75, 162, 180, 200, 258, 316 —,,— butleri, Hume. 316 —,- madagascarensis, Smith. 316 assamica, MeClell. Mirafra 223, 294 assimilis, Hume. Dendro- citta ee 519 astigma, Hodgs. Muscica- pula see 212 Astur badius, “Gmel. ore 4; LOU —,,— poliopsis, Hume 243 —,,— .rufitinctus, MeClell 197 Astur trivirgatus, Reizw.... 197 ater, @m. Milvus 198 Athene brama, Tem. ... 54,110 athertoni, Jard. & Selb. Nyctiornis .. 203 atra, Herm. Buchanga 55, 80, 108, 211, 272 --,,-— Lin. Fulica 67, 90, 229, 489 atriceps, Jerd. Alcippe ...— 383 —,,-— Hume. Falco 326 atripennis, Jerd. Caprimul- us 203 atrogularis, Tem. Planesti- cus . 213, 284 atrogularis, “Moore. Suya 3 aurantia, Gray. Seena 95 aurantius, Zin. Brachyp- ternus... .. 206, 263, 869 aureola, Vieill. Leucocerca 5d auriculatus, P. Z. S. Mill. Lanius 113, LSE B27, aurifrons, Tem. Phyllornis 215 auritus, Lath. Sypheotides 87, 109, 226 auriventer, Hume. Zoste- rops 452 austeni, Jerd. " Anorrhinus 167, 499 avocetta, Zin. Recurviros- tra 67, 489 Aythya ferina, Lin. 232 —-,,-— nyroca, Gild. ,,. 98, 94, 98, 232 azures, Bodd, Hypothymis 95, 211 Basyrtonicus, Gurn. Falco 111, 113, 179, 196, 329 baetriana, Hutton. Carine 363 ——,,—— Bp. Pica 407 . Astur 73, 197 badins, “Gz. { Micronisus f 109 bailloni, Viedld. Porzana,.. 95, 229, 489 bakkamuna, Forst. Scops 175, 507 barbarus, Zin. Falco 174 barbata, Verr. & Des.- UWurs. Perdix ie 371 barbatus, Bly. Paleornis 164 batassiensis, G. FH. Gr. Cypselus . 77, 172, 202, 257 Batrachostomus affinis, Blyth. ste 148 Batrachostomus castaneus, Hume. aor 148 Batrachostomus cornutus, Tem. 148 Batrachostomus hodgsoni, G. Rk. Gray Ht 148 Batrachostomus javensis, Horsf. 147 baya, Blyth. Ploceus 292 Baza ceylonensis, Legge. 151 —,,— incognita, Hume. ... 198n. —,,— jerdoni, Blyth. » 198x. —,,— lophotes, Cuv. ...198,2512. —,,— sumatrensis, Lafres. 151, 198n. beavani, Wald. Alcedo ... 204 bellus, Gould. “Porphyrio 9, 12, 15 bengalensis, Gm. Alcedo 77, 204, 260 —.-,,-—— Frankl. Bubo 76, 180, 200 —=-,,-—— Gmel. Cen- trococcyx ... . 208, 266 bengalensis, Gm. Gyps.. cer naizs 108, 179, 240 —-,,-—— Gm. Paleornis 44, 46 =——-,,-—— Lin. Ploceus 184, 222, 293 ——-,,-—— Gm. Pseudo- gyps ee 29, 54, 196 bengalensis, Zin. Rhyn- cheea 89, 187, 228, 302, 484 bengalensis, G.-Aust. Timalia ... 41, 284, 277 bengalensis, Frankl. Urrua 505 bewickii, Yarr. bicalearatus, Penn. Gal- loperdix 430, 453, 507 bicincta, Jerd. Osmotreron - 224, bicornis, Scop. Meniceros 94 bimaculata, Ménétr, Mela- nocorypha.., 500 421 birostris, Scop. Ocyceros. 78, 205 Cygnus 105, 464 bitorquatus, Jerd. Rhinop- tilus 235 blackistoni, Swink. Anthus 177 Dlewitta, Hume. Carine.. 201 — = — Heteroglaux 201 Bet Hume. Microper- dix 225 blighi, Holdsw. Arrengha 378 blythi, Jerd. Ceriornis .. 472 Blythipicus porphyromelas, ote. 300 200 520 Blythipicus pyrrhotis, Bly. 460 500 520 boschas, Zan. Anas ihe 492 Botaurus stellaris, Zzn. ... 490 brachydactyla, Leist. Calendrella -66, 95, 108 brachydactyla, Z’em. Calen- drella 30 500 223 brachyotus, Gm. Otus ... 505 Brachypternus aurantius, Lin. 206, 263, 369 Brachypternus ceylonus, frst. 300 208 369 Brachypternus _ dilutus, Bly. 111 Brach ypternts puncticollis, Malh. és , 369 Brachypteryx palliseri, Blyth. use 377 Brachypteryx stellatus, Gould... 650 377 brachyura, Lin. Pitta ... 82, 213 Athene ... 54,110 brama, Tem. {Goon 76, 201, 256 brevicaudatus, Sly. Turdi- nus ks phe 462 brevirostris, Blanf. Arach- necthra ... 55 brevirostris, Gould. Lina- ria 417 brevirostris, Vig. Pericro- cotus 80, 94 113, 135, 182, 210, brodiei, Buré. Glaucidium 135 brucei, Hume. Scops 94, 505 brunneicephalus, - Jerd. Larus 98, 313, 497 brunneipectus, Blyth. Dumeticola we 37, 894 brunneipectus, Bly. Scho- nicola e 394 borneus, Wagl. Palwornia 164 boschas, Zin. Anas He 67 bourdilloni, Hume. Alcippe 36 Bubo bengalensis, Frankl. 76, 180 200 Bubo coromandus, Zath. ...180, 201, 245, 254, 316 —,,— ignavus, Forst. 346 —,,— turcomanus, Hversm. 348 Bubulcus coromandus, Bodd, ... 191, 307, 490 Bucanetes githagineus, Licht. .. 64, 112, 184, 454 buchanani, Blyth. Em- beriza " . 150, 184 buchanani, Bly. Franilinia 58, 95, 183, 218, 235 Herm. 55, 80, 108, 211, 272 —,, cserulescens, Lin. <2 80, 211, 374 Buchanga insularis, Legge. 374 —.,,--— leucopygiulis, Bly. 00 ed 374 Buchanga _longicaudata, Hay. . 94, 211 Bullies calcaratus, Hodgs. 401 cinereocapilla, Savi. . 84, 138, 219, 286 Budytes citreola, * Pall. . 84, 219, ” 287, 401 —-,,— citreoloides, Gould. 401 —-,,-— dubius, Hodgs. ... 139 —-,,-— flava, Lin. . 97, 112, 138, 219, 287 —-,,-— melanocephala, Licht. ase ... 138, 219 Budytes rayi, Bp. 136, 400 —-,,-— taivanus, eae 138 Buphus coromandus, Bodd. 189, ae 46 26 ‘182, 191, 460 Burnesia gracilis, Licht. ,., 58 ——-,,-— lepida, Blyth. ... 2 Butalis grisola, Liz. ... 186, 182 —-,,— latirostris, Raff. ... 513 Buchanga atra, eae Sharpe. Pelar- gopsl thus, Blyth. ‘Laticilla .. —-,,— muttui, Layard. ... 513 Butastur liventer, Zem. ... 40 —-—,,-— teesa, Frankl. ... 94,199 Buteo ferox, S.@. Gm. ... 54; 74, 109, 112, 199 butleri, Hume. Asio he 316 Butorides javanica, Horsf. 91, 187, 191, 230, 308, 490 CacnHinnans, Pall. Larus ... 463 Cacomantis passerinus, Vahl. 94, 207, 265 Cacomantis threnodes, Cab. 207, 265 eerulatus, Hodgs. Garrulax 140 cerulea, Vand. Fulica... 14 ceruleocephala, Vig. Ruticilla 391 cerulescens, Lin, Buchanga 80, 211, 374 75, 180, 200, 252 ceruleus, Desf. Elanus .,, cesius, Zick. Parus ... 95, 220 —-,,— Schleg. Porphyrio 15 Calendrella brachydactyla, Tem. 223 calcaratus, Hodgs. Budytes 401 calidris, Gmel. Totanus .., 304 —-,-— Lin. Totanus ... 67, 89, 94, 488 caligata, Hversm. Hypolais 396 —-,,-— Licht. Hypolais .. 113, 183 218 caligatus, Rafi. Limnaetus 94, 198, 246 Calendrella brachydactyla, Leisl. Ate 66, 95, 108 Callene albiventris, Fairb. 338,35 Calliope kamschatkensis, Gmel. we wt 216 Calliope yeatmani, Tristr. 478 Callolophus miniatus, Forst. ie 507 Calobates melanope, Pail. 84, 219 calthrope, Layard. Pale- ornis ‘de 367 calvus, Scop. ‘Otogyps ww. §=54, 72, 170, 179, 196, 240 —-,,— Vieill. Porphyrio... Sp Sh 13, 16 cambaiensis, Jerd. Perdi- cula 159 cambaiensis, ‘Lath. Tham- nobia 55, 112, 135, 457 cambaiensis, Lin. ‘Tham- nobia a Bt 216 cambayensis, Gm. Turtur... 224, 463 campestris, Lim. Agro- droma 95, 112, 220 campestris, Zin. Anthus .. 63 —-.-,, —~ Pail. Motacilla 401 candida, Tick. Scelostrix... 167 —,,-— Tick. Strix ... 94, 200 candidus, Bonn. Himan- topus, 67, 89, 97, 229, 304, 489 caniceps, Blyth. Lanius .., 209, 374 —--,,-— Frankl. Megale- ma . 206, 370 canifrons, Blyth. Spizixos 386 cannabina, Zin, Linaria .,, 113, 115, 184, 527 canorus, Zin. Cuculus 78, 94 113, 122, 181, 206, 371 cantator, Zie/. Abrornis... 218 cantiana, Lath. Adgialitis 67, 227, 483 cantillans, Jerd. Mirafra.., 223 capensis, Lin. Daption... 442,463 —,,— Lin. Rallus.., 465 —-,,-— Smith. Scops ... 356 capistrata, Gould, Saxicola 118 caprata, Zin. Pratin- cola owe 55, 83, 112 Caprimulgus albonotatus, ~ Tick. 03, 257 Caprimulgus asiaticus, Lath. 77, 112,.169, 203 Caprimulgus _atripennis, Jerd. oC 203 Caprimulgus europeeus, Lin. 176 = indicus, Lath. 77, 202 ——-,,-—— kelaarti, Blyth. Me 203 Caprimulgus macrourus, Horsf)... 258 Caprimulgus mahrattensis, Sykes. 94, 181, 468 Caprimulgus monticolus, Frankl... ... 94, 203 Caprimulgus _ tamaricis, Tristr. ... ee 169 Caprimulgus unwini, Hume. ... 175 carbo, Lin. Phalaerovoredh 67, 98, 178, 190, 234, 469 Carine -bactriana, Hutton. 363 —-,— blewitti, Hume. ... 201 —-,,— brama, Tem. ... 76, 201, 256 —-,,— glaux, Savi. . 362 —-,,— noctua, Scop. 362 Carpodacus erythrinus, Pail. . 95, 223, 504 Carpophaga eenea, Lin. ... 224, 424 —-—,,—-— pusilla, Blyth. 424 ~——-,,-——_ sylvatica, Tick. 424 caryophyllacea, Lath. Anas 95, 232, 492, Casarea rutila, Pall. soo A, OB}, 232, 249, 311, 492 caspius, Pall. Sterna 98 castanea, Gould. Pucrasia 124, 428 castaneiceps, Moore. Sta- phidea 500 . 145, 403 castaneiventris, Frank. Sitta 209 castaneonotum, Bly. Glau- cidium =... 364 castaneus, Hume. Batra- chostomus ... 148 castor, Lin. Mergus | 149, 233 caudata, Dum. Chatarrbea 55, 82, 111, 214 cavatus, Shaw. Dichoceros 45, 94 Centrecoccyx bengalensis, Gimel. Re 08, 266 Centrococcyx chlororhyn- chus, Bly. . 372 Centrococcyx ‘intermedius, Hume. 3 208, 266 Centrococcyx rufipennis, Til. ‘a 79, 207, 372 Cephalopyrus fiammiceps, Burt. A ie 220 vil Cerchneis naumanni, Fleish. OBST Cerchneis tinnuncula, Lin. 54, 73, 197, 242 Cerchneis vespertina, Lin. 332 Cercomela fusca, Blyth. ... 58, 235 Cercotrichas macrura, Gm. 96, 216 Ceriornis blythi, Jerd. 472 Certhilauda desertorum, Stanl. 186 Ceryle rudis, ‘Lin. 77, 97, 204, 260, 261 ceylonensis, Legge. Baza... 151 “5 Swains, Culi- cicapa 81, 212 epee Gms Falco ».. 511 Gm. Ketupa 45, 54, 76, 201, 255 —-,,—— Gm. Limnae- tus 511 ceylonensis, Bp. Oriolus .. 38, 83 -,,—— Holdsw. Zos- terops 404 ceylonensis, Reichenb. Up- upa ee 517 ceylonica, Gm. Porzana .. 465 ceylonus, Forst. Brachyp- ternus Re 369 Ceyx tridactyla, Pail. 95 Chetornis striatus, Jerd.... 214, 279 Chetura gigantea, Hass.... 518 —-,,-— indica, Hume. ... 34 —-~,,-— leucopygin, Boze. 518 —-,,-— leucopygialis, Bly. 518 —-,,-— nudipes, Hodgs.... 518 —-,,-— sabini, J.#. rae 518 —-,,-— sylvatica, Zick. ... 202,518 Chalcophaps indica, Lin. 95, 225, 298 Chaptia nea, Vierll. 94, 211, 273 Charadrius fulvus, Gm. ... 88, 186, 226, 299, 436, 439, 482 ——.,,—— pluvialis, Zin. 174, 186, 188, 436 182, 279 55, 82, 111, 214 angustiros- .. 493, 523 streperus, Chatarrheza earlei, Blyth. —,,-—— caudata, Dum. Chaulelasmus tris, Ménétr. Chaulelasmus Linn. 67, 92, 103, 232, 493 cheela, Lath. Spilornis 341 Chelidon urbica, Lin. 202 Chettusia ciner ea, eee ee 483 —--,,--— gregaria, Pall.. 88, 94 Chibia hottentotta, Zin. ... 211 chinensis, Lin. Excalfac- toria Loe 226 chiquera, Daud. Falco 54, 73, 180, 197, 242, 327 ehirurgus, Scop. Hydro- phasianus 89, a7. 229, 304, 489 clorigaster, Jerd. Chryso- phlegma .., Le 517 chlorigaster, Bly. Croco- pus 86, 113, 135, 224, 457 chloris, Bodd. Halcyon .., 168 ehloronotus, Blyth. Por- phyrola... 456 chloronotus, Vieill. Porphy- rio 7, 8, 9, 13, 20 chloronotus, Hodgs. Regu- loides 399 chlorolopus, Vieill, Chry- sophlegma... 206 chlorophanes, Vieill. Chry- sophlegma . 517 Eilon, Linn, Gallinu- la 90, 94, 229, 306, 489 chlororhynchus, Bly. Cen- trococcyx ... 372 Chrysococcyx limborgi, Tweed. an 319 Chrysococcyx xanthorhyn- chus, Horsf. 319 Chrysocolaptes delesserti, Math. or 78, 205, 369 Chrysovolaptes festivus, Bodd, 205 Chry socoluptes stricklan ai, Layard. ... 368 Chrysonotus shorii, Vig... 206 Chrysomitris spinus, Lin. 416 -)-— tibetana, Hume. 416 Chrysophlegma chlorigas- ter, Jerd. .., 517 Chrysophlegma chlorolo- phus, Viezdl. .. 206, 517 Chrysophlegma = xantho- derus, Walh. a 517 chrysopterum, Gould. Trocholopteron 385 ehrysopygia, De Fil. Dro- molea : 57 chrysopygia, De Fil. Saxi- cola 2 “5: 57 cia, Lin. Emberiza es 138 Ciconia alba, Belon, 90, 230, 306 —-,,-— nigra, Lin. fis 90 cinclorhynchus, Vig. Oroce- tes 82 Cinclosoma setafer, Hodgs. 460 Cinclus asiaticus, Swains. 142,379 —-,,-— pallasi, Tem. ae 378 einerea, Lin. Ardea 67, 90, 189, 230, 307, 467, 490 —3-— Blyth. Chettu- sia . 300, 483 cinerea, Bechst. Grus 227 —-, y-— Hay. Tole wea 451 Vii cinerea, Lath. Perdix 371 —-,,-— Vieill. Porzana .., 440, 451 —-,,-— Gm, Terekia .., 234, 486 cineraceus, Mont. Circus 199, 249, 503 cinereifrons, Blyth. Gar- rulax tee oe 384 cinereocapilla, Savi. Bu- dytes 84, 138, 219, 286 cinereocapilla, Hodgs. Pri- nia 320 cinereus, Meyer. Anger . ae ‘231, 310, 491 —,,-— Gmel. Gallicrex 305, 489 —-,,— Lath. Gallicrex 229 cinnamomea, Gm. Ardetta 95,171, 177, 191, 231, 308, 490, 504 Cinnyris asiatica, Zin. .., 79,267 —-,,-— minima, Sykes. ... 94 === = zeylonica, Lin. ... 79,267 circia, Lin. Querquedula ... 93, 188, 232, 312, 494, Circaetus gallicus, Gmel.... 74, 199, 503 Circus eruginosus, Lin. .., 75,112, 200, 250 —,,— cineraceus, Mont. ... 199, 249, 503 —,.— cyaneus, Lin. 74, 94 Circus macrourus, S. G. Gm. aed . 74, 199, 249 —,,— melanoleucus, Gm. 34, 199, 249, 250 —y— yo Forst. 507 —);— argus, Tin. ... 34,75 Srine Limnaetus 94, 98, cirrhatus, Gm. Bll Spizaetus 198 Cissa ornata, Wagl. 408 Cisticola cursitans, Frankl. 83, 94, 183, 217, 284 citreola, Pall. Budytes .., 84, 219, 287, 401 citreoloides, Hodgs. Ent tes : 401 citrina, Lath. Geocichla .. 213 clanga, Pall. Aquila 74, 94, 197 Clangula glaucion, Lin. .., 441, 464, 565 clypeata, Zin. Spatula ... 67, 92, 232, 492 Coccystes jacobinus, Bodd. 79, 181, 207, 265, 413 celestis, Swink. Por- phyrio 8, 10, 18, 19 collurio, Zin. Lanius vee 117 collybita, Viei/z. Phylloscopus 130 Columba intermedia, Strickl, ». 66, 86, 224, 296 Vill Columba livia, Bp. Ae 296 columboides, Vig. Paleor- nis .. 48, 867 communis, Bonnat. Cotur- nix ane ve. 87, 226, 298 communis, Gmel. Falco ... 196 »—— Bechst. Grus... 88 concolor, Jerd. Diceum ... 94, 195z., 208 —-,,-— Sykes. Ptyono- progne... we 84, 97 Conostoma eemodium, Hodgs 500 se 3886 contra, Lz. Sturnopastor 221, 290 convexa, Zem. Hydrocissa 366 Copsychus saularis, Lin.... 83, 216, 282, 284 Coracias affinis, MecClell. 40, 259 —,,— garrula, Zin. ... 181 —-,,-— indica, Lin. _..,_ 77, 203, 259 corallina, Hodgs. Dendro- phila 20 459 cordatus, Jerd. Hemicercus 95 cornix, Lin. Corvus see 406, 517 cornuta, Gm. Tadorna .., 188, 492 coromandelica, Gm. Cotur- nix a ... 87, 226, 298 coromandelicus, Gmel.Cur- sorius Ae ... 67, 87, 226 coromandelianus, Gm. Nettapus ... ... 52, 92 b} 94, 98, 231, 311, 491 coromandus, Lath. Bubo. 180, 201, 245, 254, 316 ——,,—-— Bodd. Bubul- cus de . 91, 307, 490 - coromandus, Bodd. Buphus 189, 230, 467 coronata, Bodd. Hydrocissa 94, 204 coronatus, Zick. Dendro- chelidon ... .. 94, 202 coronatus, Liché. Pterocles 161 cornutus, Zem. Batrachos- tomus oss sb 148 corrugatus, Tem. Crani- orrhinus ... 167 Corvus cornix, Lin. , 406, 517 —-,,-— insolens, ume 27 —-,,-— lawrencil, Hume... 63, 120 —-,,-— macrorhynchué, Wagl. ... 84, 220, 254, 289 Corvus splendens, Vieill. 64, 84, 220, 289 —-,-— umbrinus, Hedenb. 63, 118, 120, 527 Corydalla richardi, Vieill. 220, 288 Corydalla rufula, Vieill. ., ——,,-— striolata, Blyth. 95, 220 Coturnix argoondah, Sykes. 157 —,,-—- communis, Bonnat, 87, 226, 298 Coturnix coromandelica, Gin. oon os 87, 226, 298 Coturnix pentah, Sykes. ... 157 Cotyle sinensis, Gray. ... 76, 202, ake 257 Craniorrhinus corrugatus, Tem. . ie 167 erecca, Lin. “Querquedula 93, 494 Crex pratensis, Bechst. ... 67, 109, 3 232, 440, 464 Criniger ictericus, Strickl. 95 crinigera, Hodgs. Suya ... 1 crispifrons, Blyth. Turdi- nus 31 crispus, Bruch, Pelecanus 98, 104, 448 cristata, Ray. Puligula ... 232, 496 —-,,-— Lin. Fulix 93, 94, 98 —-,,— —,,— Galerida ... 66, 86, 94, 108, 185, 224 —-,,-— Vig. Melophus wee 518 cristatus, Lath. Gallicrex 187 »—— Lin. Lanius .,. 94, 118, 209, 269 ——,,-— —,— Pavo ... 67, 86, 177, 225 ——,,—- —,,— Podiceps 497 ——,,-— Meyer. Vanellus 186 Crocopus chlorigaster, Bly. 86, 113, 135, 224, 457 «-— pheenicopterus, Lath. ae ... 135, 296 Crocopus viridifrons, Blythe Me 135 Crossoptilon tibetanum, Hodgs. _ 426 crucigera, Lipp. Pyrrhus lauda - 64 cruentatum, Lin. Diceum 46 Cryptonyx rufus, Fem. ... 158 cuculoides, Vig. Gilauci- dium do6 .» 201, 234 Cuculus canorus, Lizz. ... 78, 94, 113, 181, 206, 372 —,,-— micropterus, Gould. xx. tS Zo 20 264 Cuculus peliceephalus, Lath. 60 78 Cuculus pence Lath.... 94, 207 Culicicapa ceylonensis, Swains. 00 boa el Zales curonicus, Gm. Agialitis 67, 88 Curruca rufa, Bodd. 136 curruca, Lin. Silvia 59, 95 cursitans, Frankl, Cisticola 83, 94, 183, 217, 284 Cursorius coromandelicus, Gin. Re 67, 87, 226 Cursorins gallicus, Gm. ... 67 eyana, Zin, Cyanocincla .., 82, 218, 379 cyanea, Hume. Musczitrea 318 Cyanecula jeucocyanea, Brehm. ate 892 Cyanecula suecica, Lin. ... 95, 112, 216, 283, 393 ——,, —— wolfi, Brehim.... 391 eyaneus, Lin. Circus 74, 94. cyanocarpa,Hume. Dumeti- cola 461 cyanocephalus, Fieill. Pal- geornis AC 44 eyunocephalus, Vieill, Por- pyro": . 9, 12, 18 Cyanocincla cyana, Lin. 82, 213, 897 eyanopolia, Bote. Cyornis 516 Cyanops asiatica, Lath. 263 cyanotis, J. & S. Geocieha 95, 213 Cygnus altumi, Homeyi. .. 105 —.-,,-— bewickii, Yarr. ... | 108, 464, —-,,-— davidi, Swink. 105 —-,,-— ferus, Leach. . 99; 101, 464, —-,,-— olor, Gm. xn BBL, MOAT, 113, 178 —-,,— sibilus, Pall. .., 105 —-,,-— unwini, Hume. 100 Cyornis cyanopolia, Bote. 516 —-,;-— mandelli, Hume. 456,514 —-,,-— pallipes, Jerd. 35; 95 —-,,— rubeculoides, Vzg. 212 —-,,-— ruficauda, Swains. 81, 212 —-,,-— tickellie, Blyth. 81, 212 —-,,-— unicolor, Bly. 516 Cypselus affinis, Gray. ... 77,97, 181, 202 —,,-— apus, Lin. . 181, 865 —-,,- — batassiensis, J. E. Gr. woe fy LUZ, 202; 257 Cypselus melba, Linn. 177, 94, 202 —,,-— pallidus, Shell. ... 365 —-,,-— pekinensis, Swink. 365 Davita acuta, Lin. 93, 94, 232, 312; 493 Daption capensis, Lin. .., 442, 463 dauma, Zath. Oreocincla.., 213 davidi, Swink. Cygnus 105 davisoni, Hume. Ixos 44, 47 delesserti, Malh, Chryso- colaptes .. 78, 205, 369 delesserti, Jerd. Gurrulax,., 884 ix en, Demiegretta gularis, Buse... 95, 453 Dendrochelidon coronatu, Tick. ... 94, 202 Dendrocitta assimilis, Hume. 519 —-,,- himalayensis, Bly. ae 519 Dendrocitta rufa, Lath. .:, 220, 289 — +> —— —,,-= Scop. 84 —-,,- sinensis, Lath. 519 Dendrocygna fulva, Gm. ,., 92, 311 463, 492 —-,,-—- javanica, Horsf. 92, 98, 174, 282, 311, 492-493 Jerd. 463 Dendrophila corallina, Hodgs. 459 —-,,-—— frontalis, Horsf. 94, 209, —-,,- mnajor, 459 derbianus, Fraser, Palzor- ; nis ans 165 deserti, Riipp. “Saxicola ... 58, 95, 112 desertorum, Stanl. Certhi- lauda BA nar 186 deva, Sykes. Spizalauda “6 86 Dicseum concolor, Jerd. ...94,1952., 208 —-,,—— cruentatum, Lin. 46 —.,,—__ erythrorhyncha, Lath. oor we» 94, 267 Diceum minimum, Tick. ... 208 Dichoceroscavatus, Shaw... 45, 94 Dierurus macrocercus, Veil! 37d dilutus, Bly. Brachypternus il Dissemuroides lophorinus, Vieill. - 373 Dissemurus grandis, Gould 211 <;;—-— malubaricus, Lath moe 375 Dissemurus paradiseus, Lin. 94 Dissura episcopa, Bodd. ...230, 307, 489 domesticus; Zin. Passer ... 64 dougalli, Mont. Sterna... 174, 188 Dromas ardeola, Payk. 186 Dromolea ahaa sale De Fil. 2 57 Drycopus martius, Lin. 369 Drymoica fusca, Hodgs. .. 395 —--,,--— inornata, Sykes... 83, 217, 285, 468 —~-,,—-— insignis, Hume.... 217 —--,,—-—longicaudatn, Tick, 468 ——-,,-—- neglecta, Jerd. ... 218 —--,,--— rufescens, Hume 6,217 —--,,--— sylvatica, Jerd. 895 ——-,,--— valida, Blyth .. 395 Drymoipus inornatus, Sykes 1 dubia, Scop. Eginlitis 227, 299, 483 dubius, Hodgs. Budytes ... 139 dukhunensis, Sykes. Motacilla 63,84, 94, 95,137, 219, 286 B dulcivox, Hodgs. Alauda... 139 Dumetia albogularis, Bly. 95 ——,,-— hyperythra, Frankl. 213 Dumeticola affinis, Hodgs. 37, 142, 394 —-,,-—— brunneipectus, Blyth 000 we 387, 394 Dumeticola cyanocarpa, Hume 500 sia 461 dumetorum, Bly. Acroce- phalus 38, 95, 183, 217, 283, 397 dussumieri, Zem. The. .. 87, 186, 226, 298 duvauceli, Zem. Pucrasia... 124 Eaawe, Blyth. Chatarrhea... 182, 279 edwardsii, Gray. Eupodotis 87, 226, 528 —--,-— Gray. Otis... 186 ——— Blliot. Porphyrio 10, 13, 23 —--,-— Verr. Propasser 415 egertoni, Gould. Actinodura 153 Elanus ceruleus, Desf. ... 75, 180, * 200, 252 elgini, Zy¢. Spilornis : 340, 513 elphinstoni, Sykes. Pal- umbus BaD 95, 424 elwesi, Blanf. Otocorys ... 422, 514 Emberiza buchanani, Blyth. ws ... 150, 184 Emberiza cia, Lin. ann 138 —--,,—-— hortulana, Lin.’ 150, 527 —--,,-— huttoni, Bly. 95, 111, 150 —--,,—-— miliaria, Lin. ... 113, 115, 121, 527 ee scheeniculus, Lin. aN 411 Hmberiza shah, Bp. 006 151 —--,,--— stewarti, Bly. ... 112 —--,,--— stracheyi, Moore, 138 —--,,--— striolata, Licht. 64, 111, 410 emeria, Shaw. Otocompsa 214, 280 Hphialtes lettia, Hodgs. ... 357 ——,,.—— pennatus, Hodgs. ... ock 113 Ephialtes plumipes, Hume. 357 episcopa, Bodd. Dissura ...230, 307, 489 _episcopus, Bodd. Melano- pelargus ... 90 epops, Lin. Upupa 55, 79, 209, 267 eremitus, Lin. Chaar .. 149 Erythra phenicura, Penn, 90, 306, 489, 507 erythrinus, ail. Carpo- dacus tek 95, 223, 504 erythrocephalus, Gm. Me- _ rops 601 oF 456 erythrocephalum, Vig. Tro- chalopteron 385 erythronota, Hversm. Ru- ticilla Ai 389 erythronotus, Vig. Lani- us a sO 08; 209, 374 erythropleura, Wald. ’Suya 3 erythroptera, Jerd. Mira- fra oe 85, 223, 411 erythropygia, Sy hes. Hirundo 20, 76, 13, 202, 257 erythropygius, Jerd. Peri- Crocotus ... 55, 94, 211 erythorhyncha, Lath, Diceum 6 94, 267 erythrorhyncha, Sykes. Perdicula .., 00 87 Erythrospiza githaginea, Licht. S20 noc 504 Erythrospiza sanguinea, Gould. | ... on 414 Erythrosterna albicilla, Pail. « 182,212, 237, 277 Erythrosterna hyperythra, Cab. 132, 137, 376 Erythrosterna maculata, Tick. wis Ang 212 Erythrosterna parva, Bechst. 81, 182, 186, 137, 182, 212, 237 Erythrosterna pusilla, Blyth. 212 Hesacus recurvirostris, Cuv. 50, 88, 94, 186, 227, 301, 483 Estrelda amandava, Zzn..., 95, 222, 294 —--,,-— formosa, Lath. .., 95 Eudynamys honorata, Lin. 79, 182, 207, 266 eugenei, Hume. pelea neug ve 00 30 Eulabeia indica, Gmel. .,.. 231 Eulabes intermedia, 4. Hay. 222 Eulabes ptilogenys, Blyth. 410 —-,,-— religiosa, Lin. ... 221 Eumyias melanops, Vig. .. (212 eupatrius, Lin. Paleornis 205, 405 Euplocamus albocristatus, Vig. Rs Re 429 Euplocamus horsfieldi, G. BuGr: . 429 Euplocamus leucomelanus, Lath. a 428 Euplocamus melanonotus, Bly. ae 429 Hupodotis edwardsii, Gray. sa 87, 226, 528 eurizonoides, Lafresn. Gallinula ... ue 465 europeus, Lin. Caprimul- gus ee py 175 Eurynorhynchus pygmeaus, Lin. wee Euspiza luteola, Sparr. ... —-,-— melanocephala, 487 85, 223 Gmel. : 85, 184, 223 Excalfactoria chinensis, Lin. 0 wee 226 exustus, Zem. Pterocles ... 66, 86, 112, 161, 225 FAaIRBANEI, Blanf. Trocha- lopteron ... see 80, 36 falcata, nee Querque- dula ape 494, Falcinellus igneus, Gm.,.. 92, 94, 188, 231, 234, 310, 491 Falco esalon, Zunst. ... 179 —,,— atriceps, Hume. ... 326 —,,— babylonicus, Gurn.111, 113, 179, 196, 329 —,,— barbarus, Zin. ... 174 —,,— ceylonensis, Gm. ... 511 —,,— chiquera, Daud. ... 54, 73, 180, 197, 242, 327 —,,— communis, Gmel. .., 196 —,,— juggur, Gray. ... 54, 73, 109, 162, 196, 241 —,,— peregrinator, Sund. 73, 94, 196 —,,— peregrinus, Gm. w 241, 327, 505 —,,— subbuteo, Zim. .,. 197, 241 familiaris, WMénétr. Adon 112,183 fasciata, Raffles. Rallina.., 142 fasciatus, Gm. Harpactes 94, 172, 203, 235, 507 —--,-— Vieill. Nisaetus 74, 198 ——,-— P. L. 8. Niill. Paleornis . ... 164, 234 fasciatus, Scop. Pterocles 86, "162, 225 ferina, Lin. Aythya ... —,,— —,— Fuligula ... 93, 94, ferox, S. G, Gm. Buteo ... 109, 112, 199 ferrugineus, Hodgs. Alseonax 513 —-,,-—— G@mel. Gallus 225 ferus, Leach. Cygnus ,., 99, 101, 464, festivus, Bodd. a. ete laptes 206 filifera, Steph. ‘Hirundo . Rvs . 76, 181, 202 flammaxillaris, Bly. Arach- nechthra ... 40 flammeus, Forst. Pericro- cotus 80, 507 flammiceps, Burt. Cephalo- pyrus ae 220 eee 97, 112, 138, 219, 287 flavala, Hodgs. Hemixus,., 141 flavicollis, Lath, Ardetta 308, 490, flava, Zin. Budytes 504 —--,,-— Frankl. Gym- noris 85, 184, 223 flavifrons, Cuv. Megalema 370 flaviventris, Jerd. Abrornis 399 flaviventris, Deless. Prinia 395 “55° Tick. Rubi- gula tee == 214 flavogularis, God.-Aust. Abrornis .., 147 flavo-olivaceus, Hume. Re- guloides .., 238 fluvicola, Jerd. Hirundo... ve = SOsN ONS 202 formosa, Lath. HEstrelda 95 —,-— —,— Pytelia 222 —-,,— Georgi. Querque- ) dula 494 Francolinus pictus, J. § Ss. 87, 225 »——— vulgaris, Steph. 225 Franklinia buchanani, Bly. 58, 95, 183, 218, 235 Frigata aquila, Lin. .., 44:7 —-,,-— minor, Gm. ea 447 Fringilla montifringilla, Lin. 465 Fringilla senegalla, Lin. 518 Fringillaria striolata, Licht. es 184 frontalis, Horsf. Dendro- phila 94, 209, 459 frontalis, Bly. Propasser 459 Fulica atra, Linn. .» 67, 90, 229, 489 —,,-— coerulea, Vand. .., 14 —,,— martinica, Zin, ,,, - vi —,,-— parva, Bodd. .., 7 —,,-— porphyrio, Linn.... 8,14, 20 fulicarius, Liz. Phalaropus 487 fulicata, Zin. Thamnobia 83, 135, 216, 235, 457 fuliginosa, Hodgs. Suya .. 2 Fuligula cristata, Zin. ,,, 496 = to ee Ray. vee 232 —-,,— ferina, Lin. ,., 93, 94, 496 —-,-— nyroca, Giild. ... 493 —,-— rufina, Pall. ... 67, 95, 98, 188, 232, 312, 493 Fulix cristata, Zin. ve 93, 94, 98 fulva, Gm. Dendrocygna,,, 92, 311, 463, 492 arid Severt. Accentor 406 —, Gray. Aquila,,, 111,339 PPR — Hume. Gyps .., 108; 109, 322 GaLBuna, Zin. Oriolus fulvus, Gm. Charadrius... 88, 186, 226, 299, 436, 482 yps 33 196 fusca, Blyth. Satara 58, 235 —,,— Hodgs. Drymoica .. 395 —,,— Lin. Porzana aes 489 fuscatus, Blyth. Phyllos- copus 285, 508 fuscicaudata, “Gould. Oto- compsa . 82 fuscicollis, Steph. Phala- crocorax 93, 94, 178, 179, 189, 234, 467 fuscus, Wagl. Acridotheres 95, an 291 —,,— Vieijl. Artamus ... 211,273 —,-— Lin. Totanus . 229, 488 Galerida cristata, Zin. 66, 86, 94, 108, 185, 224 Gallicrex cinereus, Gmel. 229, 305, 489 —--,,-— cristatus, Lath. 187 gallicus, Gmel. Circaetus 74, 199, 503 —-,,-— —,,— Cursorius 67 Gallinago gallinula, Zin. 88, 228, 302, 484 —,,—— gallinaria, Lin. 483 u=—,,—— scolopacinus, Bp. 39, 67, 88, 97, 228, 525 ——,,—— sthenura, Kuhl. 28, 39, 88, 94, 228, 301, 483 gallinaria, Zin. Gallinago 302, 483 Gallinula chloropus, Zin. 90, 94, 229, 306, 489 —--,,.-— eurizonoides, Lafresn. ... ve 465 gallinula, Zin. Gallinago 88, 228, 302, 484 Gallinula a aha an Lath. a 8, 20, 21 Gallinula pheenicura, Penn. 26, 229, 507 Gallinula poliocephala, Lath. 8, 18, 21, 22 Gallinula porphyrio Lath. o6 .. 14, 20 Galloperdix bicalcaratus, Penn. 430, 453, 507 Galloperdix lunulatus, Valence. ... 225 Galloperdix spadiceus, Bly 87, 225, AGS —-,-—— zeylonensis, Gm. 453 ia ferrugineus, Gmel. 225 — lafayetti, Less, 429 Xil 387 Gallus sonnerati, Tem. ... 86, 235 ganesa, Sykes. Hy psipetes 95 gangetica, Jerd. Suya_... 6 garoensis, G-Aust. Tur- dinus ate eon 143 garrula, Zin. Coracias 181 Garrulax cerulatus, Hodgs. 140 —--,,-— bang che Blyth. 384 Garrulax delesserti, Jerds 884 —--,,-— subceerulatus, Hume odo re aa 140 ; rdea 467 garzetta, Lin. Herodias 91, 18y, 230, 307, 490 Gecinus striolatus, Blyth. 78, 94, 206, 262 Gelochelidon anglica, Mont. 93, 94, 313 Geocichla citrina, Lath. ... 213 —--,.—-— cyanotis, J. & S. 95, 213 —--,,--— unicolor, Lick. 95, 213 geoffroyi, Wagl. Aigialitis 226, 234, 483 germaini, Hilliot. Poly- plectron 603 426 Geronticus pee Temm. ser 231 gigantea, Hass. Chetura... 518 giganteus, Forst. Leptop- tilus 50 gingalensis, Shaw. Tockus 366 ginginianus, Lath. Acrido- theres ove ... 221, 291 ginginianus, Lath. Neo- pliron ike. 54, 72, 196 githaginea, Licht. Erythros- piza 504 githagineus, Licht. Bucan- etes 64, 112, 184, 454 giu, Scop. Scops oe 356 glareola, Gmel. Actitis 228 —-,,-— Lin. Actitis ... 89,97 Glareola lactea, Leach. ... 226 —=,,-— —,,— Tem. 50, 88, 94, 299, 482 —-,,-— orientalis, Leach. 44, 49, 88, 94, 482 —-,,— pratineola, Lin. 50, 186 glareola, Lin. Riyacophilus 303, 488 Glaucidium brodiei, Bart. 135 ae castaneono- tum, Bly. . oso 364 Glaucidium cuculoides, Vig. 201,234, 49° radiatum, Tick. 201 glaucion, Zin. Clangula ... minke 0 362 vo LONGUS, 229, 304, 488 goliat, Zem. Ardea avs 490 glanx, Savign. Carine glottis, Zin. Totanus Goisakius melanolophus, Rafi. 524 gouldi, Hume. Sterna 314 —-,— —,,— Sternula 233 govinda, Sykes. Milvus . 44, 54, 75, 112, 200, 252 gracilis, Zicht. Burnesia ,.. 58 —-,—— Frankl. Prinia ... 217, 895 Graculus eremitus, Zin. .. 149 Seoeerenuls striata, Vig. 234, grandis, Blyth. Alcedo 372 grandis, Gould. Dissemu- rus wee ave 211 Graucalus layardi, Blyth. 35 »——— macii, Less. 35, 94 113, 210, 271 grayi, Sykes. Ardeola 67, 91, 189, 230, 308, 490 gregaria, Pall. Chettusia... 88, 94 gregoriana, Neville. Oreo. cincla : 383 griffithi, Blyth. Parus 405 grisea, Scop. Pyrrhulauda 64, 85, 97, 112, 223, 295 griseifrons, @. R. Gr. Ab- rornis & nae 399 griseigularis, Hume. Pyc- toris soe aoe 155 griseus, Gimel. Malacocer- cus . 214, 235 griseus, Lath. Malacocer- cus a 94 griseus, Lin. Nycticorax .. 91, 231, 309, 491 —-,,— Jerd. Scops .. 175, 506 —-,,-— Lath. Tockus ... 94, grisola, Lin. Butalis ... 186, 182 Grus antigone, Lin. 227 —.,,— cinerea, Bechst. 227 —,,- communis, Bechst. ... 88 —,,— leucogeranus, Pall, 187 gularis, Jerd. Micropter- nus 94, 470 gularis, Bose. “Demiegretta 95, 453 _ —-,,— Tem. Ortygornis... 234 gulgula, Frankl, Alauda... 86, 94, 139, 185, 223 gurial, Pears. Pelargopsis 94, 203, 259 gutturalis, Scop. Hirundo 256 guttatus, Gould. Henicu- rus ct 399 Gygis alba, Sparrm. Ns 447 gymunopodus, Gr. Scops ... 353 Gymnoris flavicollis, Frankl. ‘ 85, 184, 223 Gyps bengalensis, Gm. 72, 108, 179 —,,— A Lath. ... 240 —,,— fulvescens, Hume. .,. 108, 109, 322 —,-— fulyus, Gm. Be 196 xill Gyps himalayensis, Hume. 322, 323 — indicus,Scop. 72, 165, 196, 326 —,,— pallescens, Hume. ... 72, 165, $24, 325 —,,— tenuirvstris, Hodgs. 326 HaMacePoata, Mill. Xan- 28, 39, tholema ... 40, 78, 112, 206, 264 hematopygia, Gould. Leu- costicte axe 418 hemorrhous, Gm. Molpastes 55, 82 ——-,,-—— Gmel. Pyc- nonotus ‘ ... 182, 215 Halcyon amauropterus, Pears. 260 —-,,-—: chloris, Bodd. 168 —-,,— pileata, Bodd. 26, 235 —,-— smyrnensis, Bodd. é 204 Halcyon emyrnensia, Lin. 26, 54, 77, 97, 112, 260 Haliaetus albicilla, Zin. ... 112, "341, 467 —--,,— leucogaster, Gmel. 199 —--,,— leucoryphus, 96, 199, 249 Haliaetus macii, Tem. 467 haliaetus, Liz. Pandion ... 199, 248 Haliastur indus, Bodd. .., 75, 112, 200, 251 Harpactes fasciatus, Gmel. 94, 172, 203, 235, 507 hastata, Less. Aquila... 198, 244, 254 haughtoni, Armstr. Pseu- dototanus ... 488 haughtoni, Armstr. Tota- nus 488 heinei, V. Hom. Alaudula. 528 helvetica, Lin. Squatarola 95, 436, 482 Hemicercus cordatus, Jerd. 95 Hemipus picatus, Sykes.... 94, 210 Hemixus flavala, Hodgs.... 141 hendersoni, Hume. Hieto- falco ass 327 hendersoni, Cass. Locus- tella 2s 284 hendersoni, Hume. Saxi- cola eve 388 Henicurus guttatus, Gould. 399 ——). maculatus, Vig. 400 —.,,—— nigrifrons, Hodgs. 457 —,, scouleri, Vig... 457 Herodias alba, Lin, 189 —-,,—— garzetta, Linn.... 91,189, 230, 307, 490 —-~,,--— intermedia, Has- selt. 91, 189, 490 Herodias intermedia, Wag. 230 Herodias torra, Buch. 91, 230, 490 Heteroglaux blewitti, Hume. 090 600 201 Hieratus pennatus, Gm.... 74, 198 Hierax melanoleucus, Blythe) ek we 372 Hierococcyx nisoides, Bly. 371 —-,,-— ee: Vig. . 207, 371 Hierococcyx Varius, Vahi. 94, 207, 264. Hierofalco hendersoni, Hume a a8 327 himalayensis, Bly. Den- drocitta ... ae 519 himalayensis, Hume. Gyps 322, 323 Himantopus candidus, Bon- nat. 67, 89,97, 229, 304, 489 Hirundo erythropygia, Sykes we 76, 113, 202, 257 Hirando filifera, Steph. 76, 181, 202 —,,-— myicolat Jerd. 76, 97, 202 —,,-— gutturalis, Scop... 256 —-,,— rustica, Linn. ,,, 54,76, 97, 202 hodgsonize, Hodgs. Per- dix vee w. O71, 432 hodgsoni, G. R. Gray. Batrachostomus 148 hodgsoni, Gray. Motacilla 140, 519 —,,-— Bly. Prinia .«. 48, 95, 217, 395 —,-— Moore. Ruti- cilla ove 090 114 honorata, Zin. Hudyna- mys oo AS), ise, 207, 266 Freclepiesas ventralis, Cur. 227, 300, 483 horsfieldi, G. R. Gr. Eu- : plocamus ... a 429 horsfieldi, Vig. Limnaetus 246 yer =-,,°° Myiopho- neus £50 ... 81,150, 212, 235, 467 horsfieldi, Sykes. Poma- torhinus 82, 214, 235, 383 hortulana, Zinn. Emberi- Za sia ... 150, 527 hottentotta, Zann. Chibia 211 Houbara macqueeni, Gray & Hardw. 508 67 humei, Brooks. Reguloi- des me . 131, 134, 218n., 236, 475, 509 humilis, Hume. Podoces 409 saatet Sahay wea Ea Prinia_... 394 —-~,,-— —;,— Staphidea 145 huttoni, Bly. Emberiza .., 95, 111, 150 hyacinthinus, Shel?, Pore - phyrio on te 21 hyacinthinus, Zem. Por- phyrio see 9, 15 hyacinthinus, Brehm. Por- phyrio nes 15 hybrida, Pall. Hydroche- lidon ... 93,94, 98, 318, 443 Hydrochelidon __hybrida, Pall. ... 98, 94, 98, 313, 443 Hydrochelidon indica, Steph. a 233 Hydrochelidon leucoptera, Meisn. & Schintz. ae 445 Hydrochelidon nigra, Lin, 446 Hydrocissa affinis, Hutton 205. ——-,,—— albirostris, Shaw. ae 46, 204, 366 Hydrocissa convexa, Tem... 366 —-,,—— coronata, Bodd. 94, 204 Hydrophasianus chirurgus, Scop. 89, 97, 229, 304, 489 hyperboreus, Lin. Lobipes 150, 487 hyperythra, Frankl. Dume- tia 213 hyperythra, Cab. Erythros- terna... 132, 137, 376 Hypolais caligata, Eversm. 396, 397 Se) 183, 218 ——,,-— languida, H. & £. 398 ——,,-— easton Strick 30 399 Hypolais pallida, H. & al 398, 504 ——,,-— rama, Sykes ... 83, 183, 218, 397, 504, hypoleucus, Zzn. Actitis ... 89, 228 ——-,,—— --,,-- Totanus 187 areal aeIee Trin- goides a sod 488 Hypotenidea striata, Lin 489 Hypothymis azurea, Bodd 95, 211 Hypsipetes ganesa, Sykes 95 —-—,—— malaccensis, Blyth. fs Ba 142 Ips melanocephalus, Lath. 91, 189, 314, 467, 491 ictericus, Strickl. Grune ger aco sea 95 ichthyztus, Pall. La- rus . 233, 497 ichthyeetus, Horsf. Polio- setus p00 42, 199, 248 ignavus, Forst. Bubo ... 346 igneus, S. G. Gm. Falci- nellus 92, 94, 188, 231, 234, 310, 491 ignotum, Hume. Pellor- neum 500 oes 143 XV imbricata, Layard. Oreo- cincla ani so 383 incognita, Hume. Baza... 198n. indica, Hume. Chetura... 34 —-,,— Lin. Chaleo- é phaps 95, 225, 298 indica, Zinn, Coracias ... 7 208, 259 —-,,— Gmel. Hulabeia ... 231 —-,,— Steph. Hydcaepe lidon a Te 233 indica, Lath. Parra ... 95, 97, 229, 304, 489 —-,— Blyth. Pratincola 56, 83, 112, 216, 283, 519 =—-,,— Steph. Sterna 497 —-,— Gm Srix ots 506 —-,,— Gould. Yunx ... 459 Indicator eae ete Blyth. 372 indicus, @m. Anser 310, 491 —-,,— Lath. Caprimul- gus eee Tas, COZ indicus, Salv. Adicnemus 227 —-,;— Scop. Gyps 5 PRS UG: 196, 326 —-,,-— Gm. Limonidro- mus 000 95,.219, 235 indicus, Bodd. Lobiva- nellus 39, 67, 88, 97, 110, 227, 300, 483 indicus, Gm. Loriculus.., 368 —-,,— Briss. Oriolus .., 215 —-,,— Jerd. Oriolus ,,. 38, 95 —y,—- J. § S. Passer... 85, 222, 294 —-,— Jerd. Phyllos- copus 83 indicus, Horsf. Porphy- rio 9, 16 man Bly. “Rallus oe 486 -— Gin. Scops podeelijos 201, 359, 362, 506 indoburmanicus, Awme, Paleornis ... “oc 459 indranee, Sykes. Syrnium 94 indus, Bodd. Haliastur ,., 75, 112 200, 251 Inocotis papillosus, Zemm. 92 inornata, Sykes. Drymoi- ca ... 83, 217, 285, 468 inornata, Wald. Megale- ma AB .. 94,370 inornatus, Sykes. Dry- moipus_... 1 insignis, Hume. Drymoica 217 —-,—— Hodgs. _Pratin- cola ar .. 494, 519 insolens, Hume. Corvus ,., 27 insularis, Legge. Buchan: ge as rr 374 Z intermedia, Hasselt. Ardea ww Kg 467 intermedia, Hume. Cen- trococcyx ... -- 208, 266 intermedia, Strichi. Co- lumba ae 66, 86, 224, 296 intermedia, 4. Hay. Kula- bes : Das 222 intermedia, Hasselt. He- rodias eas 91, 189, 490 intermedia, Wagl. Hero- dias “ine soe 230 interpres, Lin. Strepsilas 483 Tole cinerea, Hay. 451 -,,- terricolor, Hume 141, 451 Tora nigrolutea, Marsh. 215, 454 -,,- tiphia, Zin. 82, 215, 281 Trena puella, Lath. 95, 114 actu Riipp. Saxico- 57, 95, 112 saatlltibe i. g #. Lani- us . 210, 270 ispida, Lin. Alcedo 0 112 Ixus davisoni, Hume. 44, 47 --,,-- luteolus, Zess. 82, 214 Txulus rufigenis, Hume. .., 144, —-,,— striatus, Blyth. .., 144 JACARINA, Lin. Tanagra .., 518 jacobinus, Bodd. Coccys- tes ... 79, 181, 207, 265 jamesoni, Hume. Pratin- cola 55 japonica, 7. & S. Zoste- rops 404 javanica, Horsf. Butorides 91. 187, 191, 230, 308, 490 = )- Dendro- cygna ».. 92, 98, 174, 232, 311, 492, 493 javanica, Gm. Strix wie #0, MOE 180, 200, 253, 256, 505 javanicus, Horsf. Leptopti- lus we 2d, 44, 51, 90, 94, 230 javanicus, Jerd. Palxornis 164 —--,,--— Horsf. Peleca- nus 314 javensis, Horsf. Batrachos- tomus se 147 jerdoni, Blyth. "Baza : 1987. —-,-— —,— Machlolo- hus -. 84, 220 jerdoni, Blyth. " Phyllornis 82, 215 ---)"— —,— Sylvia 58, 84, 110, 219 —,;"——- —),,— Trochalop- teron ses ane 36 Jerdonia agricolensis, Hume. wn mS 396 jondera, Sykes. Turnix ... 226 jugger, Gray. Falco .. 64, 73, 109, 162, 196, 241 KAMSCHATKENSIS, Gmel. Cal- liope 560 a8 216 kelaarti, Blyth. Capri- mulgus_... Hee 203 kelaarti, Legge. Limnae- tus , 511 kelaarti, Blyth. Munia ... 410 Ketupa ceylonensis, Gm.... 45, 54, 76, 201, 255 khasiana, G.-Aust. Actino- dura 153 khasiana, God.--Aust. Suya 3, 4 kieneri, Gerv. Lophotri- orchis 33 kieneri, G. St.-Hill. Lopho- triorchis ... 198 kingi, Hume. Saxicola ... 57, 112, 183 kinnisi, Kelaart. Merula 33, 35 kundoo, Sykes. Oriolus ... 38, 83, 111, 113, 182, 215 Laotea, Leach. Glareola ... 226 lactea, Zem. Glareola ... 50, 88, 94, 299, 482 lafayetti, Less. Gallus... 429 lahtora, Sykes. Lanius ... 59, 79, 108, 209 languida, H. S# aoe lais 30 398 Lanius arenarius, Biy. sn 108 —-,,-— auriculatus, P.L.S. Mill. 2 ©2118, 115, 117, 527 Lanius caniceps, Blyth. ... 209, 374 —-,,-— collurio, Zin... 117 —-,,-— cristatus, Lin. ... 94,113, 209, 269 —)-— erythronotus, Vig. 80, 108, 209, 374 —-,,-— isabellinus, H. & B. . ... 210, 270 Lanius lahtora, Sykes. ... 55, 79, 108, 209 —-,,—- nigriceps, Frankl. 209, 268, 272 —-,-— phenicurus, Pail. 270 —-,,-— rufus, Briss. ... 117 —-,,-— superciliosus, Lath. 270 —-,-—— tephronotus, Vig. ono 209, 267, 374 Lanius vittatus, Vig. 80, 108, 209 Larus affinis, Reinh. ... 463 —,,— argentatus, Lin. ... 463 —,— brunneicephalus, Jerd. QO. 98, 313, 497 —,,— cachinnans, all, 463 Larus ichthyetus, Pall. ... 233, 497 —,,— leucopheus, Licht... 463 —,,— minutus, Pall. vee 443 —,,— occidentalis, Aud. ... 463 —,,— ridibundus, Lin. 98, 497 Larvivora superciliaris, Jerd 83, 216 lateralis, Tem. Zosterops ... 452 lathami, Finsch. Paleornis 164 —-,,—— Lath. Spizetus ... 198 Laticilla burnesi, Pal th. 182, 191, 460 Alseonax 81,212 latirostris, Rafi. { Butalis 513 lawrencii, Hume. Corvus... 638,120 layardi, Blyth. Graucalus | 35 Layardia rubiginosa, God.- Aust fo 153 Layardia rufescens, Blyth. 386 - ——,,-— subrufa, Jerd. 95, 154 lempiji, Horsf. Scops. ... 201 lepida, Blyth. Burnesia ... 2 —,-— Hodgs. Suya .... 1 Leptocoma zeylonica, Lin. 208 Leptoptilus argalus, Lath... 25, 30, 90, 187, 229, 306 —.,,-—— giganteus, Horsf. 50 ——.,-—— javanicus, Horsf. 25, 44, 51, 90, 94, 230 leschenaulti, Vietld. Merops 94, 406 —-—,,-—— Less. Tacco- cua oe ee Hee : Ephialtes 35 Laie) lange. ee ve 45, B57 leucocephalus, Gm. Tanta- lus . 91,110, 118, 188, 231, 309, 467, 507 leucocephalus, Forst. Tan- talus 491 Leucocerca plbicoltiss Vieill. 211,276 ——,,—— albofrontata, Frankl. . 80,182, 211 Leucocerca aureola, Vieill. 55 ——,,-—— leucogaster, Cuv. 212 —~——,,-—— pectoralis, Jerd. 80 leucocyanea, Brehm. Cyane- cula 392 leucogaster, Gmel. Haliae- tus 199 leucogaster, Cuv. Leucocer- ca, 212 leucogenys, Moore. Rai- thaliscus ... on 404 leucogeranus, Pall. Grus 187 leucomela, Pallas. Saxicola 113, 115, 118, 527 leucomelanura, Hodgs. Si- phia .. ... 286,376,570 leucomelanus, Lath. Euplo- camus ae 428 leucopheeus, Licht. Larus 463 leucoproctum, Tweed. ‘Tri- chastoma ... ee 318 XVil leucopsis, Gould. Motacilla 520 leucoptera, Meisn. Schintz. Hydrochelidon..., 445 leucopygia, Bote. Chetura 518 leucopygialis, Bly. Bu- changa__... 374 leucopygialis, Bly. Chestura 518 leucorodia, Zn. Platalea 67, 91, 231, 491 leucoryphus, Pali. Haliae- tus se 96, 199; 249 leucotis, Gould. Otocompsa 55 Leucosticte hematopygia, Gould. Sas tee 418 leucotis, Hodgs. Timalia ... 459 leucura, Tweed. Niltava ... 318 —,,-— Blyth. Pratincola 216, 234 lichtensteini, Zem. Ptero- cles ae soe 162 limborgi, weed. Chry- sococeyx ... 319 Limnaetus caligatus, Rofl. 94, 198, 246 ——,,—— ceylonensis, Gm. 511 ——,,—— cirrhatus, Gmel. 94, 198, 511 —,,—-- horsfieldi, Vig. 246 —.,,—— kelaarti, Legge. 511 ——,,—— sphynx, Hume. 511 Limonidromius indicus, Gm. 95, 219, 235 Limosa xgocephala, Zin. 97, 302, 486 Linaria brevirostris, Gould. 417 —-,,-— cannabina, Zin. 113, 115, 122, 184, 527 —-,-— montium, Gm. ... 417 lineatus, Cuv. Numenius 89, 94, 487 Linota montanella, Hume. 418 liventer, Zem. Butastur ... 40 livia, Bp. Columba oth 296 Lobipes hyperboreus, Lin. 150, 487 Lobipluvia malabariea, Bodd. 39, 88, 227 Lobivanellus indicus, Bodd. 39, 67, 88, 97, 110, 227, 300, 483 Locustella hendersoni; Cass. 284 longicaudata, 4A: Hay. Buchanga .. 94,211 longicaudata, Tick. Dry- moica a 468 longicaudatus, Gimel. Orthotomus 183 longirostra, Lath. Arachno- thera er 35 longirostris, Hodgs. Pye- toris ... 154, 460 longirostris, Moore. Oto- corys 422, 515 longirostris, Jerd. Upupa 41 lophorinus, Vieil/, Disses muroides ... 875 lophotes, Cuv. Baza "198, 251n. Lophotriorchis kieneri, G. St.-Hill. .., alg 198 Lophotriorchis kieneri, Gerv. a ie 33 Loriculusindicus, Gm. ... 368 ——,,-— vernalis, Sparrm. 94, 234, 368 lugubris, Zieh. Ninox 76, 201 ——,,-— Blyth, Phyllosco- pus |. 95, 236, 508 lugubris, Horsf. Surniculus 207, 235 Iunulatus, Valence. Gallo- perdix .., ao 225 luscinioides, Savi. Pseu- doluscinia ,. Ae 38 luteola, Sparr. “Huspiza .. 85, 223 luteolus, Zess. Ixus 82, 214 luzoniensis, Scop. Motacilla 137, 139 219, 519 Mactt, Less. Graucalus 35, 94, 113, 210, 271 macil, Zem. Haliaectus .,.. 467 — Vieil. Picus a 261 Machetes pugnax, Lin, 89, 94,, 97, 487 Machlolophus aplonotus, Blyth. ee 405 Machlolophusjerdon Blyth, 84, 220 macqueeni, Gray & Hard. Houbara ... 67 macrocercus, Vze2dl. Di- ; crurus: ... ot 375 macrolopha, Less. Pucra- sia ... L24, 428 Macrorhamphus semipal- matus, Jerd.: ee 484 macrorhyncha; Stol. Pra- tincola... a 55 macrorhyncha, Wagl. Corvus’ 84; 220; 254, 289 macrourus, Horsf. Capri- mulgus.. 258 macrourus, 8. G. Gm. Civ- cus 74, 199, 249 macrurus, Gmel. Cerco trichas m vs 95, 216 maculata, Tick. Erythros- terna 212 _ maculatus, Hodgs. Anthus 219,287 —,,— Vig. Henicur* us one 400 maculatus, Hodges. Pipas- tes ... 84109 maculicollis, “Moore. Or- thotomus ... 452 maculipennis, Bly, Abrornis 399 c XVill madagascariensis, Smith. Asio ane 316 madagascariensis, Lath. Gallinula .. .. 8, 20, 21 maderaspatana, Sykes. Motacilla 84, 97, 113, 137, 219 magnirostris, Ball. Pale- ornis ... 27, 408 magnirostris, ‘Blyth. Phyl- loscopus ... 286, 509, 510 mahrattensis, Sykes. Acri- dotheres_... .. 2210. mahrattensis, Sykes. Cap- rimulgus 94, 181, 468 mahrattensis, Lath. Picus 55, 78, 111, 135, 181, 205 major, Jerd. Dendrocygna 463 malabarica, Scop. Alauda 95 malabarica, Bodd. Lobi- pluvia oe 39, 88, 227 malabarica, Zim. Munia 83, 112, 222, 293 =——-,—— Jerd. Osmotre- ron ... 95, 235 malabarica, Gmel. Sturnia 48, 221 —-,,——. Bly. Xantho- lema .. 94, 371 malabaricus, Tath. Disse- murus 375 malabaricus, “Terd. Mala- cocercus ... 214, 235, 385 malabaricus, Gm. Phyllor- nis 95 malabarious, ‘Terd. Scops 34, 361 ,-_— Sharpe. Scops 506 a Ey eS Gmel. Teme- nuchus... Kies 292 malacca, Zin. Munia ... 39, 222 malaccensis, Blyth. Hyp- sipetes ... 142 Malacocercus griseus, Gmel. 214, 235 —-, -—— —-,,-— Lath, 59 ——-,,-——_ malabaricus, Jerd. 900 214, 235, 385 Malacocercus malcolmi, Sykes. 600 55, 82, 111 Malacocercus somervillei, Sykes. ope 500 94, Malacocercus striatus, Swains. aR 385 Malacocercus' _ terricolor, Hodgs. 108, 214, 262, 278, 385 malaiensis, Rewmw. Neo- pus ... 94, 198 malayanus, “Hay. Scops 146, 350, 354, 355 malcolmi, Sykes. Mala- cocercus .. 59, 82, 111, 113 mandelli, Hume. Cyornis 456, 514 mandelli, Brooks. Scheeni- cola nee a 394 manyar, Horsf. Ploceus 39, 148, 222, 292 Mareca penelope, Lin. 938, 94, 494 martinica, Lin. Fulica 7 martius, Lin. Dryocopus 369 maruetta, Brisson. Porzana 187 »-— Leach. Porzana 48, 90 meena, Sykes. Turtur 86, 224, 296 Megaleema caniceps, Frankl. 206, 370 Megalema flavifrons, Cav. 370 inornata, Wald. 94,370 —.,, viridis, Bodd. 78 —,, zeylonica, Gm. 369 Megalurus palustris, Horsf. 214 melanauchen, Cab. Pyrrhu- ; lauda aa . 64, 112 melanictera, Gin. Bubigula 387 melanicterus, Lath. Melo- phus Shc .... 99, 112 Pa iarictamis: Gmel. Melo- phus anc 118, 223, 517 Melaniparus semilarvatus, Salvad. ... 458 melanocephala, Licht. Bu- dytes te . 138, 219 melanocephala, Gmel. Bus- piza 184, 223 melanocephala, Scop. Eus- piza 85 melanocephala, Lath. Ibis 91, 189, 310, 467, 491 melanocephalus, Gm. Ptilo- pus 507 melanocephalus, Lin. Orio- lus 200 48, 215, 281 melanocephalus, Linn. Threskiornis 231 Melanocorypha bimaculata, Ménéir. ... ae 421 melanogaster, Penn. Ahinga 507 —.-,,--—— Gm. Plotus 94 —--,,-—— Fenn. Plotus 98, 178, 189, 234, 315, 467 melanogastra, Zem. Sterna 93, 94, 238, 314, 497 melanognathus, Brandt. Phalacrocorax... 178, 189, 467 melanoleucus, Forst. Cir- cus C00 060 34 melanoleucus, Gmel- Cir- cus ... 199,249, 250, 507 melanoleucus, Blyth. Hie- rax ae ites 372 melanolophus, Raff. Goisakius ,.. 50 524 melanonotus, Penn. Anas 507 —-,,-—— Penn. Sar- kidiornis ... .. 9294 98, 231, 491, 507 melanope, Pall. Calobates 84, 219 Melanopelargus episcopus, Bodd. ade 90 Melanopelargua nigra, Linn, 230 Eumyias 212 meleng Dey) ge posers 81, 277 melanopterus, Temm. Por- phyrio Sate 16 melanorhynchus, Wagl. Paleornis ,.. ... 164, 165 melanotis, Hodgs. Allo- trius aed 456 al Ds g 'S. Milvus 44, 94, 200 —— Jerd. Spilornis 74, 199, 340 melanotus, Bly. Huplo- camus age ite 429 melanotus, Zemm. Por- phyrio 9,13 melanurus, Bly. Pomator- hinus 20 383 melaschistus, Hume. Ac- cipiter ae 333 melaschistus, Hodgs. Vol- yocivora, . 210, 271 melba, Linn. “Oypselus 77, 94, 202 Melophus cristata, Vig. 518 —-)—— melunicterus, Lath .. 95, 112 Melophus melinicterus, Gmel. ... .. 118, 223517 Meniceros bicornis, Scop. 94 Mergellus albellus, Zinn. ... 188, 233 Mergus castor, Linn. .. 149, 233 Merops apiaster, Lin. 113 —-,,-— sgyptius, Forsk. ... 181 —-,,-— erythrocephalus, Gm. 456 —-,,-— leschenaulti, View’. 94, 456 —-,,-— persicus, Pail, 77, 94 —-,-— philippinus, Zin. 94, 203, 258 —-,,-— quinticolor, Vzezil. 45 —-,,-— swinhoei, Hume. ... 203, 456 —-,,-— urica, Horsf. 456 —-,,-— viridis, Linn. 35, 54, 77, 203, 258 Merula kinnisi, Kelaart.... 33;-35 —-,,-— nigropileus, Laf- res. 95, 213 Merula simillima, Jerd. 35 —-,,-— vulgarjs, Leach. 380 mesoleuca, Ent. Ruticilla LIS: 114, 527 Micronisus badius, Gm. ... 109 Microperdix blewitti, Hume. 225 micropterus, Gould, Cucu- lus 79, 207, 264 Micropternus gularis, Jerd. 94, 470 —--,,-—— _ phaioceps, 206, 262, 470 migrans, Bodd. Milvus ..,, 344 miliaria, Zin. Emberiza 113, 115, 121, 527 Milvus affinis, Gould. 44, 200 —-,,— ater, Gm. 7 198 —-,,— govinda, Sykes. 44, 54, 76, 112, 200, 252 —-,,— melanotis, 7. & 8S. 4d, 94, 200 —-,— migrans, Bodd..., 344 miniatus, Forst. Callolo- phus re 507 minima, Sykes. Cinnyris 94 minimum, Zick. Diceum 208 minimus, Hume. Spilornis 513 minor, Gm. Fregata .. 447 —-,,;— -+,,- Podiceps 67, 93, 109, '313, 497 minula, Hume. Silvia. 58, 62 minuta Pall, Mgialitis 227,300, 483 —-,,— Lin. Ardetta 171 —-~.,— Hume. Siphia 376 —-,,— Leisi. Tringa 67, 89, 94, 97, : 228, 299, 487, 497 minutus, Pall. Larus 443 —--,-= W. V. Legge. Scops bc 145 Mirafra affinis, Jerd, 223 —-,,-— assamica, McClell. 223, 294, —-,,-— cantillans, Jerd. ... 223 —-,,— erythroptera, Jerd. 85, 223, 414 Mixornis rubricapillus, Tick. 213 mogilnik, S.G. Gm. Aquila 73, 94, 197, 244, 335, 338 Molpastes hemorrlious, Gmel. # tees 65), 82 Molpastes pygeeus, Hodgs. 281 monacha, Riipp. Saxicola 112 monachus, Lzn. Vultur 321 mongola, Pall. Aigialitis 227, 299, 438, 483 moniliger, Hodgs. Anthipes 376 montanella, Hume. Linota 418 montanellus, Pall. Accentor 405 montanus, Sly. & Jerd. Anthus « 461 Monticola saxatilis, Zin. . 379 monticolus, Frankl. Capri- muleus .,., we 945 2038 Montifringilla adamsi, Moore 419 montifringilla, Zin. Frin- gilla so at 465 Montifringilla _ruficollis, Blanf. : 420 montium, Gm. Linaria ... 417 morio, H. & £. Saxicola... 118 Motacilla alba, Zinn. 136 —--,,—-- alboides, Hodgs. 137,139, 519 ’ Motacilla campestris, Pail. 461 dukhunensis, "Sykes. 63, 84, 94, 95, 137, 219, 286 Motacilla hodgsoni, Gray... 140, 519 —--,,--— leucopsis, Gould. 520 —--,,--— luzoniensis, Scop. 137,139, 219, 519 —--,,--— maderaspatana, .. 84, 137 Motacilla maderaspatensis, Gm 97, 113, 219 Motacilla personata, Gould. 140, 219 Munia kelaarti, Blyth. 410 —-,,— malabarica, Lin. ... 85, 112, 222, 293 —-,— malacca, Lin. . 39, 222 —-,,— punctulata, Lath . 222 —-)— ye Line ges. 293 —--,,— rubronigra, Hodgs. 222, 293 —-,,— striata, Linn. . 95, 222 Muscicapula astigma, Hodgs 212 —-,,-——__ superciliaris, Jerd. aco ty Bal Muscipeta paradisi, Tin.,.. 80, 118, 211, 274 Muscitrea cyanea, Hume.... 318 muticus, Lin. Pavo. 455 muttui, Layard. Butalis .. 513 Myiophoneus eugenei, Hume. 30 Myiophoneus horsfieldi, Vig. 81, 150, 212, 235, 467 mystaceus, ek Palaor- nis 164 N#VIOIDES, Cuv. Aquila... 166 nagaensis, God.-dust. Tur- dinus 143 nana, H. § E. Sylvia 8, 63,183 nanus, Vig. Yungipicus . ate 94, 205 naumanui, Fleish. Cerch- neis . 73, 331 neglecta, Jerd. “Drymoica.... 218 neglectus, Schleg. Por- phyrio : 22 nemoricola, Jerd. Sturnia... 44, 48 Neophron ginginianus, Lath. 54, 72, 196 Neopus malaiensis, Reinw. 94, 198 Nettapus coromandelianus, Gm. 52, 94, 98, 231, 311, 491 neumayeri, ’Michah. Sitta 373 nigra, Lin. Ciconia 90 —,,— --,,- Hydr ochelidon 446 —,)— 77 Melanope- largus 230 nigriceps, Frankl, Lanius. "209, 268, 272 nigriceps, Heugl. Pyrrhu- lauda d i 64 nigrifrons, Cur. Ai gialitis 438 nigrifrons, Blyth. Alcippe 383 —,,—— Hodgs. Heni- curus 457 nigripennis, Gould. Upu- pa . 79,517 nigrirostris, Hodgs. Pa- lzornis 164 nigrolutea, Marsh. Tora 215, 454 nigropileus, Lafres. Meru- la ie ... 95, 213 nilghiriensis, Bly. Oreo- cincla wa 383 Niltava leucura, Tweed. 318 Ninox affinis, Tyé. 364 —))— lugubris, Tick. 76, 201 —,,— scutulatus, Raff. ... 253, 256 nipalensis, Hodgs. Acan- thoptila ; ... 409, 460 nipalensis, Hodgs. Aquila 197, 338 = Paleeor- nis me : 458 nipalensis, Hodgs. Parus 220n. »—— Gould. Pucra- sia 428 nipalensis, Hodgs. Spizae- tus 33, 511 Nisaetus fasciatus, Vieill. 74, 198 nisoides, Bly. Hierococ- cyx a, 5c 371 nisus, Lin. Accipter 33, 73, 180, 197, 468 nitidus, Lath. Phyllosco- pus 600 95, 183, 238 nivicolum, Hodgs, Syr- nium a 135 noctua, Scop. Carine 862 nudipes, Hodgs. Chetura 518 Numenius lineatus, Cuv. 89, 94, 487 ——,,— pheopus, Lin. 187, 487 Nyctea scandiaca, Lin. 345 Nyctiardia nycticorax,-Lin. 189, 467 Nycticorax griseus, Zz. 91, 231, 309, 491 nycticorax, Lin. Nyctiar- dia wi . 189, 467 Nyctiornis athertoni, J and. Ff Selb. 580 203 ~ nyroca, Guild. Aythya 93, 94, 98, 232 —-,-— —,— Fuligula 493 OxzscuRA, Hume. Suya 2 obscurus, Gm. Anthus 521 occidentalis, Awd. Larus 463 occipitalis, Jerd. Reguloi- des es 95, 128, 218 oceanica, Banks. Oceani- tes : 178 Oceanites oceanica, Banks. ee Vis) xxi ocellatum, Less. Syrnium 75, 179, 200 ochropus, Linn. Actitis 89, 228 —--,,--— —,— Totanus 187, 303 488 Ocyceros birostris, Scop. 78, 205 —~-,,-— tickelli, Bly. ... 499 (idicnemus indicus, Salv. 227 (Edicnemus scolopax, S. G. Gm. ps ... 88, 483 olivetorum, Stricki. Hy- polais - oe 399 olor, Gm. Cygnus sae BE Hil 113, 178 onocrotalus, Zin. Peleca- nus ee »» 98, 233 Ophrysia superciliosa, Gray. 434 opistholeuca, Strickl. Sax- icola ee 57, 95, 182 Oreocincla dauma, Lath. 213 ——,,—— gregoriana, Ne- ville s 383 Oreocinela imbricata, Lay- ard. 383 Oreocincla “nilghiriensis, Bly. 383 Oreocincla spiloptera, Bly. 381 orientalis, Leach, Glareola 44, 49, 88, 94, 482 Oriolus ceylonensis, Bp. ... 38, 83 —-,-— galbula, Lin. .., 387 —-,,-— indicus, Briss. ... 215 ye yy Jerd. ... 38, 95 —-,,-— kundoo, Sykes ... 38, 83, 111, 113, 182, 215 —-,-— melanocephalus, Lin, ... 48, 215, 281 ornata, Wag). Cissa Sé6 408 Orocetes cinclorhynchus, Vig. 82 Orthotomus longicaudatus, Ginel. ae 183 Orthotomus maculicollis, Moore a 452 Orthotomus sutorius, G. R. Foster . 83, 217, 284, 507 Ortygornis gularis, Tem. ... 234 ——,—— ponticeriana, Gu. tO, S220 osbecki, Horsf. Palzornis 164 oscitans, Bodd. Anastomus 91, 110, 113, 188, 189, 231, 310, 467, 491 Osmotreron bicincta, Jerd. 224, ——-,—— malabarica, Jerd. a vee, 95, 200 Otis elwardsi, Gray ish 186 -,,— tarda, Lin. a 434 —,,— tetrax, Lin. Sa 435 Otocompsa fuscicaudata, Gould. Pa ees 82 Otocompsa leucotis, Gould. 55 ——,,—— emeria, Shaw.., 214, 280 Otocorys alpestris, Lin. ... 422, 514 —-,,-— elwesi, Blanf. ... 422, 514 —-,,-— longirostris, Moore. v . 422, 515 Otocorys pencillata, Gould. 422, 514 Otogyps calvus, Scop... 54, , 72, 170, 179, 196, 240 Otus brachyotus, Gm. .., 505 —,,-- vulgaris, Flem. ae 503 Pagoparum, Gmel. Sturnia 85, 221 pagodarum, Gm, Temenu- chus, a 112, 113, 184 Palornis barbatus, Bly. . 164 —— ,,—-— bengalensis, Gm. 44, 46 ——,,-— borneus, Wagi.... 164 ——,-— calthrope, Lay- ard. 367 Palzornis columboides, Vig. 78, 367 ——,.-— cyanocephalus, Vieill. ies 44, Palzornis derbianus, Fraser. 165 ——,,—— eupatrius, Zin. 205, 458 —— 2 a y ay Pa Mill. . 164, 234 Paleornis indoburmanicus, Hume, wee a5 459 Palzornis javanicus, Jerd. 164 ——,,-— lathami, Finseh. 164 —---,,--— magnirostris,Ball 27, 458 —-—,—-- melanorhynchus, Wagl. Nee ... 164, 165 Palzornis mystaceus, Hodgs, “s.. aoa 164 Paleornis nigrirostris, Hodgs. wx. 164 Baleons nipalensis, Bodgs. 458 —,,—-- le lables Gm. .: 164 Paleornis purpureus, BG, S. Mill. . 78,97, 205, 261 Paleornis oshecki, Horsf... 164 —--,,--— sivalensis, Hutt. 458 —--,,--— torquatus, Bodd 55,78,205 —--,,--— vibrissa, Bodd... 164 pallasi, Zem. Cinclus ... 378 pallescens, Hume. Gyps... 72, 165, 324, 325 pallida, Z. § EF. Hypolnis 398, 504 pallidus, Shell. Cypselus... 365 pallidus, Wald. Spilornis... 513 pallipes, Jerd. Cyornis ... 35, 95 palliseri, Blyth Brachyp- teryx Re fie 377 palpebrosa, Zem. Zoste- rops ...84, 220, 403, 452 Palumbus elphinstoni, Sykes. ins we 95, 424 Xxil Palumbus torringtoni, Ke- laart. nos bon 424 palustris, Horsf. Megalurus 214 Pandion haliaetus, Lin. ... 199, 248 papillosus, Zemm. Geron- ticus 00 200 231 papillosus, Zem. Inocotis 92 paradisi, Zin. Muscipeta. 80,113, 211, 274 paradisi, Zin, Tchitrea.... 113 paradiseus, Zin. Dissemu- rus 900 200 94 Parra indica, Lath. 91,95, 229,304, 489 parumstriata, Dav. & Oust. Suya ate Be Parus aplonotus, Bly. ... 405 —,,— cesius, Zick. —,,— grifithi, Blyth. ... 405 —,,— nipalensis, odgs.... 220n. —,,— xanthogenys, 2g. ... 405 parva, Bechst. Erythros- terna, 81, 132, 136, 137, 182, 212, 237 parva, Bodd. Fulica ... i Passer domesticus, Lz. ... 64 —,— indicus, Jard. Selb... ...85, 222, 294 passerinus, Vahl. Caco- mantis, ... 94, 207, 265 Pastor roseus, Linn. 85, 86, 112, 184, 221. Pavo muticus, Lin. 67, 177, 225,455 pectoralis, Jerd. Leucocerca 80 pekinensis, Swink. Cerch- neis Tele ... 13%., 832 pekinensis, Swink. Cypse- lus ae 506 365 Pelargopsis burmanica, Sharpe. ... 26 Pelargopsis gurial, Pears.94, 2038, 259 Pelecanus crispus, Bruch. 98, 104, 448 —--,,—-—- javanicus, Horsf. 314 —-—-,,--— onocrotalus, Lin. 98, ra —--,,--— philippensis, Gm. 41, 93, ae ate 94, 315 peiewensis, Hart. & Finsch. Porphyrio ... 10,13 Pellorneum ignotum, Aume. 143 -,—- ruficeps, Swains. 95, 214 —-—,,—— tickelli, Blyth 143 pellotis, Hodgs. Timalia 459, 460 pencillata, Gould. Otocorys 422, 514 penelope, Lin. Mareca 93, 94, 494 pennata, Gmel. Aquila ... 174 pennatus, Hodgs. Ephi- altes 306 1100 113 pennatus, Gm. Hieraetus 74, 198 —--,,--— Hodgs. Scops 76, 180, 201, 255 pentah, Sykes. Coturnix 157 Perdicula argoondah, Sykes. 87, 159 —--,,--— asiatica, Jerd. ... 159 ES ia, yp oe —--,,--— cambaiensis, Jerd. 159 —--,,--— erythrorhyncha, ykes a wee 87 Perdicula rubicola, Hodgs. 159 —--,,--— rubiginosa, G. &. ray. AUB see 159 Perdix barbata, Ver7. and Des. Murs. on 371 Perdix cinerea, Lath .. 371 —-,,— hodgsoniw, Hodgs. 371, 432 peregrinator, Sund. Falco. 73, 94, 196, 327 peregrinus, Gm. Falco ... 241, 327 505 —-—,,——— Lin. Pericroco- tus 80, 110, 135, 210, 271 Pericrocotus _ brevirostris, Vig. 80, 94, 113, 135, 182, 210 Pericrocotus erythropygius, Jerd. 55, 94, 211 Pericrocotus flammeus, Forst. te ... 80, 507 Pericrocotus peregrinus, Lin. 80, 110 135, 210, 271 Pericrocotus roseus, Vieill. 135, 210 —-—,,—-— speciosus, Lath. we oe 210 Pernis ptilorhynchus, Temm. .... ... 75, 200 persicus, Pall. Merops... 77, 94 personata, Gould. Mota- cilla HOO ... 140, 219 phenicura, Frankl, Am- momanes ... 2 85, 223 phenicura, Penn, Erythra 90, 306, 489, 507 ——,,—— —,,— Gallinula 26, 229, 507 ——,,—— —,,— Porzana 187 ——,,—— Lin. Ruticilla 115, 389 phenicurus, Pall. Lanius... 270 pheopus, Zin. Numenius... 187, 487 phaioceps, Bly. Micropter- : nus 206, 262, 470, Phalacrocorax carbo, Lin. 67, 98, 178, 190, 234, 469 —-~-—,,—--— __ fuscicollis, Steph. 93, 94, 178, 179, 189, 234, 467 Phalacrocorax melanogna- thus, Brandt, ... 89, 178, 467 Phalacrocorax pygmzus, Pail. ... 94, 98, 234, 315, 497 Phaleropus fulicarius, Zin... 487 Pheenicophaés _ pyrrhoce- phalus, Forst. ee 507 Phenicophaus _ pyrrhoce- phalus, Pen. p00 372 XXili Phenicopterus antiquorum, Lem. 491 phenicopterus, ‘Lath. Cro- copus . 135, 296 Phonicopterus roseus, Pall. 92,112 philippensis, Gm. Pelecanus 41, 93, 94, 315 ——, Tin. Ploceus... 184 ———,,—-— Gmel. Podiceps 233 philippinus, Ziz. Merops 94, ae 25 —-—,,—-— --,- Ploceus 85, 222, 292 Phyllornis aurifrons, Tem. 215 ——,,—— jerdoni, Blyth. 82, 215 ——,,—— malabaricus, Gm. 95 - Phylloscopus affinis, Zick. 95, 218, 236, 510 —-—,,—-— collybita, Vieill. 130 ——-,,-— fuscatus, Biyth. 285, 508 Phylloscopus indicus, Jerd. 83 ——,,—-— lugubris, Blyth 95, 236, 508 ——,,—-— magnirostris, Blyth. Sisk 286, 509, 510 Phylloscopus nitidus, Blyth. 95, 238 ——-,,- —-,,-— Lath. 183 ——-,,—-— plumbeitarsus, Swink. . 454, 508, 510 Phylloscopus presbytis, Mili, 453 —-,,-—— rufus, Gm. ... 130 ——-,,-—— schwarzi, Radde. 508, 510 —-,,-— sibilatrix, Bechst. ... 200 236 Phylloscopus superciliosus, 508 —-,,-——_ tristis, Bly. 95, 130, 183, 213, 237 —-,,-—— trochilus, Lin. 132, 598 —-,,-——_ trochiloides, Sund. . 508 Phylloscopus tytleri, Brooks 509 ——-,-—— Viridianus, Blyth. 95, 218, 286, 454, 508, 510 Phylloscopus viridipennis, ly. as one 453 Pica bactriana, Bp. si 407 -,)-— rustica, Scop i 407 picata, Blyth. Saxicola 57, 112 picatus, Safen. Hemipus 94, 210 pictus, J. & 8S. Francoli- nus soo, (Ofg 22D Picus macei, Pieill, ave 261 —,,— mahrattensis, Lath. 55, 78, 111, ae 181, ” 205 —,,— scindianus, Gould... 111 pileata, Bodd. Halcyon ss. §=26, 235 Pipastes arboreus, Bechst. 109 —-,,-— maculatus, Hodgs. 84,109 pipra, Less, Prionochilus.,.. 372 Piprisoma agile, Tick. .., 94, 209 pispoletta, Pall. Alaudula 528 Pitta brachyura, Lin. 82, 213 Planesticus atrogularis, Zem. 213, 234 Platalea leucorodia, Linn. 67, 91, 231, 491 platyrhyncha, Tem. Limi- cola 487 platyura, Jerd. Schenicola 33, 37 Ploceus baya, Blyth obi 292 —+-— hongalanais Lin..,.184, 222, 293 —-,,-— manyar, Horsf. ... 39, 184, 222, 292 —-,,-— philippensis, in. 184 —-,,— philippinus, Zin.,., 85, 222, 292 Plotus melanogaster, Gm.... 94, —-,— ——-,,-—— Penn. 98, 178, 189, 234, 315, 467 plumbeiceps, God.-Aust. Staphidea ., . 143, 145 plumbeitarsus, Swink. Phylloscopus 454, 508, 510 plumipes, Hume. oe ns pluvialis, Zin. Charadrius 174, 186, 188, 436 Pnepyga squamata, Gould. 463 Podiceps cristatus, Zin. ... 497 —--,-— minor Gm... +67, 93, 109, 313, 497 —--,,-— philippensis, Gmel. 233 Podoces humilis, Hwme ... 409 pecilorhyncha, Gm, Anas 67, 98 492, 507 pecilorhyncha, Penn. Anas 92, 232 poiocephala, Jerd. Alcippe 82 Polioaetus ichthyaetus, Horsf. 42, 199, 248 poliocephala, Lath. Galli- nula, 8, 18, 21, 22 poliocephala, 4, Anders. Prinia : 319 poliocephalus, Lath. Cucu- 78 poliocephalus, "Lath. Por- phyrio 23, 39, 89, 229, 305, 489 poliocephalus, Schleg. Por- phyrio 24 poliocephalus, Viei//. Por- phyrio... ove LE 22 poliopsis, Hume. Astur .., 243 Poly plectron conan El- liot. 6 426 Pomatorhinus — horsfieldi, Sykes 82, 214, 235, 383 Pomatorhinus melanurus, Bly. 383 Pomatorhinus ruficollis, Hodgs. .. 158, 460 XXIV pondiceriana, Gmel. Te- phrodornis . 210, 270 pondicerianus, Gi. Palxor- nis 164 ponticeriana, Gm. Tephro- dornis Ses 80 ponticeriana, G'mel. Orty- gornis. 67, 87, 225 Porphyrio egyptiacus, Heugl. 50 as 21 Powalio albus, Tem. ... 9 ——,,--— alleni, ZThomp. 7 ——,,--— aneiteumensis, Tristr. ee LO, UF. Porphyrio. antiquorum, Bon 15 Porphyrio bellus, Gould. 9, 12, 15 ——,,--— cesius, Schleg. 15 ——,,--— calvus, Vieill. 8, 9, 13, 16 SES ccelestis, Swinh. 8, 10, 13, 19 ——,--— chloronotus, Vieill: 138 7,8; 9, 18, 20 Porphyrio cyanocephalus, Viewtl. ... 9,12,13 Porphyrio edwardsi, Elliot: ... 10, 13, 23 Porphyrio erythropus, Steph. 66 000 20 porphyrio, Zinn. Fulica: ... 8; 20 ——,,—— Pail. Fulica. ... 14 ——,—— Lath. Gallinula 14, 20 Porphyrio’ hyacinthinus, Sheil. vas te 21 Porphyrio' hyacinthinus, Temm. 9, 15 Porphyrio® ‘hyacinthinus, Brehm: ... 15 Porphyrio' indicus, Horsf. 9,16 ——,,--— melanopterus, Temm. i 16 Porphyrio me anotus, ae oo 200 GF 13 Porphyrio neglectus, Schleg. see 22 Porphyrio pelewensis, Hart. & Finsech. =» L0)-13 Porphyrio _poliocephalus, Lath. 28,24, 39, 89, 229, 305, 489 Porphyrio “poliocephalus, Vieill. wee .. 18, 22 Porphyrio pulverulentus, Temm. 600 9,13, 22, 24 Porphyrio samoensis, Peale oe ee OSG Porphyrio smaragdinus, Temm. a 300 9, 16 Porphyrio smaragdonotus, Liché. bbe 21 Porphyrio smaragnotus, Sykes. 350 hie 22 Porphyrio smaragnotus, Temm. w00 9, 20 Porphyrio stanleyi, Rowl, 13 Porphyrio veterum, Gmel. 8, 12, 14 Porphyrio vitiensis, Peale. 10,16 porphyromelas, Bote. Bly- thipicus ... ei 520 porphyromelas, Boie. Venilia ... 520 Porphyrula alleni, Thomp. 457 ——-,,—— eee Blyth. 456 Porzana akool, ‘Sy kes. " 299, 489 —-,,-— bailloni; Fricill. 95, 229, 489 —-,,-— ceylonica, Gm. ... 465 —-,,-— cinerea, Vieill. ;.. 440; 451 —-,,-— fusca, Lin. iw 489 —-;,-— maruetta, Brisson. 187 —-,,-— ——,,-— Leach. 90, 489 —-,,-— phenicura, Penn. 187 pratensis, Zin. Anthus ... 402, 455 ——.,,--— Bechst. Crex ... 440, 464 Pratincola caprata, Lin. 55, 83, 112 pratincola, Zin. Glareola,.. 50, 186 Pratincola indica, Bly. 56, 83, 112, 216; 283, 519 ——,, —— insignis, Hodgs. 454, 519 ——,,—— jamesoni, Hume. 55 ——,,—— leucura, Blyth. 216, 234 ——',,—— macrorhyncha, Stol: de i 55 Pratincola rubetra, Hue: 58 ——,; rubetraoides, Jam. 55 presbytis, Mill. Phyllosco- pus 453 Prinia adamsi, Jerd. iss 395 rn jae ca ee Hodgs. wee 320 Prinia flaviventris, Briss. 395 —,— gracilis, Frankl. ... 217,395 —,,— hodgsoni, Blyth ... 48, 95, 217, 395 —,,— humilis, Hume. ... 394 —,—° poliocephala, A. i Anders. ... 500 319 Prinia socialis, Sykes 83, 217, 395 —,,— stewarti, Blyth. ... 319, 395 Prionochilus pipra, Less. 372 Propasser edwardsi, Ver. 415 ——,,--— frontalis, Bly. .. 459 ——,,--— thura, Bp... 459 proregulus, Pall. Regu- loides th .. 95, 132 Pseudogyps’ bengalensis, Gm. 603 29, 54, 196 Pseudoluscinia luscinioi- des, Savi. ... 38 Pseudototanus haughton, Armst. ... 488 Pterocles alchata, Zin. ... 161 XXV Pterocles arenarius, Pall. 66, 112, 161, 186 —,— coronatus, Licht. 161 Pterocles exustus, Tem. 65. 86, 112, 161, 295 ——,,--— fasciatus, Scop. 86, 162, 225 ——,,--— rebiensisal, Tem. 162 Pterocles senegalus, Lin... 161 ptilogenys, Blyth. Eulabes 410 Ptilopus meg ee ane Gm. 507 ptilorhyncha, Tem. Pernis. 75, 200 Ptyonoprogne _ concolor, Sykes. 34, 77 Ptyonoprogne _rupestris, Scop. 82 94 Pucrasia castanea, Gould. 124, 428 —--,--— duvauceli, Zem. 124 —--,,--— macrolopha, Less. 124, 428 —--,,--— nipalensis, Gould. 428 puella, Lath. Irena 95, 114 pugnax, Zin. Machetes .., 89, 94, 97, 487 pulverulentus, Temm. Porphyrio .., 9, 13, 22, 24 puncticollis, Maih. Bra- chypternus... ... 94, 369 punctulata, Lath. Munia 222 ——-,,—— Lin. Munia ... 85, 293 puniceus, Zick. Alsocomus 224 purpurea, Linn. Ardea 39, 90, 189, 230, 307, 467, 490 purpureus, P. Z. §. Mull. Paleornis .. 78, 97, 205, 261 pusilla, Blyth. Carpophaga 424, —-,-— —,— Erythros- terna ove 212 pusillus, Fly. " Pyenonotus 111 Pycnonotus hmorrhous, Gm. a ... 182, 215 Pyenonotus pusillus, BZy... 111 2 Lee pyg&us, Hodgs. ak 215 Pyctoris griseigularis, Hume. 155 Pyctoris longirostris, flodas. . 154, 460 Pyctoris sinensis, Gmel. 82, 155, 213 pygargus, Lin. Circus 34, 75 pygmaus, Jin. Eurynor- hynechus .., 487 pygmeus, Hodgs. Molpastes 281 ——,,--— fall. Phalacro- corax 94, 98, 234, 315, 497 pygmeus, Eodgs. Pyeno- notus 215 pyrrhocephalus, Penn. Pheenicophaus “ig 372 pyrrhocephalus, Forst. Pheenicophaés 507 pyrrhotis, Bly. Blythipicus 520 ——,,--— --,,-- Venilia .. 520 Pyrrhulauda affinis, Blyth. 64 ——,,-—-— _—erucigera, Riipp. ie ae 64 Pyrrhulauda grisea, Scop. 64, 85, 97, , 228, 295 —--—,,—-— a Cab. ven ... 64, 112 Pyrrhulauda _nigriceps, Heugl. .,. oo 64 Pytelia formosa, Lath. 222 QuINTICOLOR, Vieill. Merops 455 Querquedula angustiros- tris, Ménétr. 493 Querquedula circia, Zinn. 93, 188, 232, 312, 494 —--,,-—— crecca, Linn. 67, 93, 109, 232, 494 -,— falcata, Georgi. ... 40 494, Querquedula formosa, Georgi. ss. 494 Rapratum, Zick. Glaucidium 201 Rallina fasciata, Raffles... 142 —-,.-— telmatophila, Hume. a5 . 142, 451 Rallus capensis, Lin. 465 -—,,— indicus, Bly. 489 —-,,— superciliaris, Hy ton. 451 -—,,— zeylonicus, Gm. .., 465 rama, Sykes. Hypolais ... 83, 183, 218, 397, 504 rayi, Bp. Budytes . 136, 400 raytal, Bly. Alaudula 295 Recurvirostra ayocetta, Lin. wee 67, 489 recurvirostris, Cuv. Baacus 50, 88, 94, 186, 227, 301, 483 Reguloides chloronotus, Hodgs. 5 899 Reguloides flavo- -olivaceus, Hume. 238 Reguloides humei, Brooks. 131, 134, 218n., 236, 475, 509 occipitalis, , Jerd. 95, 128, 218 Reguloides proregulus, (27 Sas 95, 132 Reguloides subviridis, Brooks. . 238, 477 Reguloides superciliosus, Gm. 128, 132, 134, 136, 218, 236, 475, 510 Reguloides _ trochiloides. Sund, ee 128 D ) XXV1 Reguloides md Blyth. 238 religiosa, Linn. Eulabes . 221 Rhinoptilus bitorquatus, Jerd 235 Rhopodytes ‘tristia, Less. 208 —-,,-——_ viridirostris, Jerd. 79, 94, 195n., 207 Rhyacophilus glareola, Lin. 303, 488 Rhynchea bengalensis, Lin. 89, 187, 228, 302, 484 Rhynchops albicollis, Swains. 98, 94, 99, 233, 314, 497 richardi, Vieid/. ‘Corydalla 220, 288 ridibundus, Zin. Larus ... 98, 497 risorius, Lin. Turtur ... 66, 86, 171, 224, 297 roseus, Linn. Pastor .. 85, 112, 184, 221 —-,— Vieiil. Pericrocotus 135,210 —-,,— Pall. Phenicopterus 92, 112 rubeculoides, Vig. Cyornis 212 rubetra, Hume. Pratincola 55 rubetraoides, Jam. Pratin= cola 55 rubricapillus, Tick. Mixor- nis 213 rubicola, Hodgs. Perdicula 159 rubiginosa, God.-Aust. Layardia ... 153 rubiginosa, G. R. Gray. Perdicula ... 159 Rubigula flaviventris, Tick. 214 ——.,,--— melanictera, Gm. 387 rubricapilla, Brown. Xan- tholema ... 371 rubronigra, Hodgs. Munia 222, 293 rudis, Lin. Ceryie 77, 97, 204, 260, 261 rufa, Lath. Dendrocitta ... 84, 220, 289 rufescens, Hume. Drymoica 6, 217 »»——— Blyth. Layardia 386 ruficapillum, Bly. Tro- chalopteron 00 385 ruficauda, Swains. Cyornis 81, 212 ruficeps, Swains, Pellor- neum 95, 214 ruficollis, Blanf. Montifrin- gilla 420 ruficollis, Hodgs. Pomator- hinus . 153, 460 ruficollis, Pali. Tringa . 228, 487 rufigenis, Hume. Ixulus ae 144 —,,--— —,,— Staphidea 145 rufina, Pall. Fuligula 67, 95, 98, 188, 232, 312, 493 rufipennis, J. Centro- coccyx 79, 207, 372 rufipennis, Sharpe. Scops,.. 300 rufitinctus, McClell. Astur 197 rufiventris, Vzez?. Ruticilla 58, 83, 216, 283 rufogulare, Gould. Trocha- lopteron ... 155 zutoeuene Moore. Ruticilla 389 Gould. Trocha- eaten ae 550 153 rufina, Bodd. Curruca ... 136 rufula, Véeill, Corydalla... ——— rufus, Zem. Cryptonyx ... 158 —,,— Briss. Lanius 520 117 —,,— Gm. Phylloscopus ... 130 rupestris, Scop. Pryono- progne 30 00 94 rupicolus, Pall. Turtur ... 95 russatus, Jerd. Charadrius 439 rustica, Zin. Hirundo ... 54, 76, 97, 202 rustica, Scop. Pica ee 407 rusticola, Lin. Scolopax ... 177,288, 470, 483 rutherfordi, Swink. Spilor- Hise 245, 247, 252 Ruticilla ceruleocephala, Vig. wes ies 391 Ruticilla erythronota, Eversm. ... 000 389 Ruticilla hodgsoni, Moore, 114 —-,,--— mesoleuca, Hhr. 118,114, j 527 —-,,--— phenicura, Lin. 115, 389 —-,,--— rufiventris, View. 58, 83, 216, 283 —-,,--— rufogularis, Moore. 389 rutila, Pal. Casarca po ey heh 232, 249, 311, "492 SALICARIA arundinacea, Lath. 38 sabini, J. H. Gr. Chetura 518 Salpornis spilonota, Frankl. 209 samoensis, Peale. Porphyrio 10, 16 sanguinea, Gould. Hrythros- piza — 414 Sarkidiornis “melanonotus, Penn. ,.. 92,94, 98, 231, 491, 507 saularis, Lin. Copeychus, 83, 216, 2 2, 284 saxatilis, Zin. Monticola... 379 Saxicola albonigra, Hume. 112 —--,,-— capistrata, Gould. 118 —--,,— chrysopygia, Defil 57 —--,,-— deserti, Riipp. 58, 9&, 112 —--,,-— hendersoni, Hume. 388 —--,,-— isabellina, Ripp.57, 95, 112 —--,,-— kingi, Hume. 57, 112, 183 —--,,-— leucomela, Pall. 113,115, 118, 527 —--,,-— monacha, Réipp.... 112 —-,,-—-morio, H. & #.... 118 XXVIl Saxicola opietholeuca, Strick. 57, 95, 182 —--,,-— picata, Blyth. 57, 112 ecandiaca, Lin. Nyctea ... 345 Scelostrix candida, Tick. ... 162 Schenicola brunneipectus, Bly. 394 Scheenicola mandelli, Brooks 394 —-, platyura, Jerd. 33, 37 schconiculus, Lin. Emberiza 411 schwarzi, Radde. Ene: copus . 508,510 scindianus, Gould. Picus .. 111 scolopacinus, Bp. Gallinago 39, 67, 88, 97, 228, 251 scolopax, §.G. Gmel. Bidic- nemus wes ... 88, 483 — Scolopax rusticola, Lin. ., 177,228, 470, 483 Scops bakkamuna, Forst.... 175, 507 Scops brucei, Hume. .. 94, 505 —,,— capensis, Smith. ... 356 —,,— giu, Scop. roe 356 —.,,— griseus, Jerd. 175, 506 —,,— gymnopodus, Gr. ... 353 —,,— indicus, Gm. 5 8% Ives 201, 359, 362, 506 —,,— lempiji, Horsf... 201 —,,— lettia, Hodgs. 45, 357 —,,— malabaricus, Jerd.,.. 34, 361 —,,— —-,,— Sharpe. 506 +E —,,— malayanus, Hay. ... 146, 350, 354, 355 —,,— minutus WY VP. Legge. 300 145 Scops pennatus, Hodgs. ... 76, 180, 201, 255 —,,— plumipes, Hume. ... 358 —,,— rofipennis, Sharpe 352 —,,— spilocephalus, Blyth. 352 — »— stictonotus, Sharpe. 356 —,,— sunia, Hodgs. ane 201 scouleri, Vig. Henicurus ... 457 scutulatus, Raff. Ninox ... 253, 256 segetum, Gm. Anser as 441 seheria, Zick. AXthopyga 208 seloputo, Horsf. Syrnium 44, 46 semilarvatus, Salvad. Mela- niparus ... 458 semipalmatus, Jerd. Macro- ramphus ... as 484, Seena aurantia, Gray. .., 95 seena, Sykes. Sterna . 98, 233, 314, 497 senegalla, Lin. Fringilla... 518 senegalus, Lin. Pterocles... 161 senegalensis, Lin. Turtur,,. 66, 86, 463 senex, Jem. Sturnia #e 409 setafer, Hodgs. Cinclosoma 460 shah, Bp. Emberiza a 151 shorei, Vigors. Chrysono- tus 206 sibilatrix, Bechst. Phyllos- copus Ae 236 sibilus, Padi. Cygnus A 105 Silvia affinis, Blyth. Pr ith (524 —— altheea, Hume. ... 60,62 —,,— curruca, Zin. ey 59 —,,— jerdoni, Bly. .. 98,110 —,— minula, Hume. ... 58, 62 — nana, H. ¢ #. as 58 simile, Hume. Trochalop- teron " Ss 457 similis, Jerd. “Agrodroma 95 simillima, Hume. Arachno- thera e 170 simillima, Jerd. Merula .. 35 simplex, Swink. Zosterops 403 sinensis, Gm. Ardetta ..52, 91, 94, 177, 191, 308, 490, 584 —--,,-— Gray. Cotyle 76, 202, 257 —--,-— Lath. Dendrocitta 519 —--,,— Gm. Pyctoris ... 82, 155, 213 —--,-— Gm. Sturnia... 514 Siphia leucomelanura, Hodgs. . 236, 376, 510 Siphia minuta, Hume. ... 376 —,,— tricolor, Hodgs. ... 376 sirkee, Gray. Taccocua ... 97 Sitta castaneiventris, Franki. 209 —-,-- neumayeri, Michah. 373 sivalensis, Hutt. Palsornis 458 smaragdinus, Temm. Por- phyrio 200 - 9, 16 smaragdonotus, Licht. Por- phyrio noe 21 smaragnotus, Sykes. Por- phyrio so 560 22 smaragnotus, Tem. Por- phyrio one x 9, 20 smyrnensis, Bodd. Haleyon 204 Lin. Haleyon 26, 54, 74, 97; 112, 260 socialis, Sykes. Prinia 83, 217, 395 somervillei, Sykes. Mala- cocercus... oc 94, 7 sonnerati, Lath. Cuculus .. 94, 207 ——, Tem. Gallus ... 86, 235 sordida, Riipp. Agyo- droma 183 spadiceus, Gm. Galloper- dix 87, 225, 465 sparveroides, | Vig. Hiero- coccyx «- 207, 371 Spatula elypeata, Linn. ... 67, 92, 232, 492 speciosus, Lath. Pericro- .., cotus ae 210 sphynx, Hume. Limnae- te tus one “6 511 XXVIL1 spilocephalus, Blyth. Scops 352 spilogaster, Blyth. Spilornis 340, 512 spilonota, Frankl. Sal- pornis 000 500 209 spiloptera, Bly. Oreocincla 381 Spilornis albidus, Cuv. ... 341 —--,,-— cheela, Lath. ... 341 a elgini, Tyé. soe 340, 513 -—-,-—- melanotis, Jerd. 74, 199, 340 -—-,,-—-- minimus, Hume. 513 -—-,,-—- pallidus, 300 513 Spilornis rutherfordi, Swinh. Eas 245, 247, 252 Spilornis spilogaster, Blyth. 340, 512 spinoletta, Lin. Anthus ... 462, 521 spinus, Lin. ‘Chrysomitris 416 Spizalauda deva, Sykes. ... 86 Spizaetus cirrhatus, Gm.. 198 -—-,,-—- lathami, Lath. 198 -—-,,-—- nipalensis, Hodgs. 33, 511 Spizixos canifrons, Blyth. 386 splendens, Vieid. Corvus 64, 84, 220, 289 squamata, Gould. Pnoépyga 463 Squatarola helvetica, Lin. 95, 436, 482 stagnatilis, Bechst. Totanus 89, 488 stanleyi, Row/. Porphyrio 13 Staphidea , castaneiceps, Moore sh . 145, 403 Staphidea plumbiceps, God.- Aust. . 148, 145 Staphidea humilus, Hume. 145 ——,,-—- rufigenis, Hume. 145 ——,,-—- striatus, Blyth. 145 ——.,,-—- torqueola, Swin. 144, 145 stellaris, Ziv. Bataurus ... 490 stellatus, Gould. Brachyp- teryx 377 stentorius, H. ‘s E. Acro- cephalus... see 90, 216 Sterna anetheta, Scop. ... 178 —-,— anglica, Mont. ... 234, 497 —-,,— caspius, Pall. p00 98 —-,,— dougalli, Mont. ... 174, 188 —gouldi, Hume. 314 sm indica, Séeph. ... 497 —-,,— melanogastra, Tem. 93, 94, 98, 233, 314, 497 —-,,— seena, Sykes. wee 698, 233, 314, 497 patois Bly. Wmberiza ... 112 -— —,,— Prinia ... 319, 395 hos, Kuhl. Gallinago 28, 39, 88, 94, 228, 301, 483 stictonotus, Sharpe. Scops 356 Stoporala melanons, Vig. 81, 277 stracheyi, Moore. Emberiza 138 streperus, Lin. Chaulelas- mus 000 67, 92, 103, 232 Strepsilas interpres, Zin. ... 483 striata, Vig. Grammatop- tila 300 234 striata, Lin. "Hypotenidia 489 -—,,— -°-,-- Munia . 95, 222 —-,— Swinh. Suya ... 1 striatus, Jerd. Chetornis,.. 214, 279 striatus, Blyth. Ixulus... 144 »— Swains. Malacocer- cus 200 385 striatus, Blyth. Staphidea 145 »-— Walden. Turdinus 462 stricklandi, Layard. Chry- socolaptes ... Sop 368 striolata, Blyth. Cory- dalia ... 95, 220 striolata, Licht. Emberiza 64, 111, 410 ——,,— Licht. Fringil- laria 184, striolatus, Blyth. Gecinus 78, 94, 206, 262 Strix candida, Zick. .,. 94, 200 —,,-- indica, Gm. i 506 —,,-- javanica, Gm. 500, (5, ; 180, 200, 253, 256, 505 Sturnia albofrontata, Layard. .. Bee 409 Sturnia malabarica, Gmel. 48, 221 —-,,-— nemoricola, Jerd.... 44, 48 —-,,-— pagodorum Gmel. 85, 221 —-,-— senex, Tem. aos 409 —-,,-— sinensis, Gm. 505 514, Sturnopastor contra, Lin. 221,290 Sternula gouldii, Hume. ... 233 Sturnus vulgaris, Linn. ... 221 subarquata, Gild. Tringa 89, 94, 487 subbuteo, Lin. Falco . 197, 241 subcerulatus, Hume. Gar- rulax ais 66 140 subrufa, Jerd. ‘Layardia , .. 95, 154 subruficollis, Blyth. Aceros 46 subviridis, Brooks. Regu- loides ited ... 238, 477 suecica, Lin. Cyanecula 95, 112, 216, 283, 393 sumatrensis, Lafres. Baza 151, 1982. sunia, Hodgs. Scops 600 201 superciliaris, Zick. Abror- ‘nis ae 399 superciliari is, “Jerd. Lar- vivora ae 83, 216 superciliaris, Jerd. Musci- capula 6 .. 90, 212 superciliaris, Eyton. Rallus 451 —--,,- Anders. Suya 3, 4 superciliosa, Gray. Ophry- sia 434 superciliosus, Lath. Lanius 270 superciliosus, Phylloscopus 608 XXIX superciliosus, Gm. Regu- loides 128, 132, 134, 136, 218, 236, 475, 508 suratensis, Gmel. Turtur 39, 86, 224, 297 Surniculus lugubris, Horsf. 207, 235 sutorius, G. R. Foster. Or- thotomus 83, 217, 284, 507 Suyaatrogularis,"Yoore. .., 3 --,,-- crinigera, Hodgs. .. 1 --,-- erythropleura, Wald. 3 --,,-- fuliginosa, Hodgs. 3 --,,-- gangetica Jerd. 6 --,,-- khasiana, God-Aust. ... 3, 4 --,,-- lepida, Hodgs. 1 | --,,-- obscura, Hume. 2 --,-- parumstriata, Dav. Oust. ss 2 Suya striata, Swzh. : 1 --,,-- superciliaris, Anders. 3, 4 swinhoei, Hume. Merops 203, 456 sykesii, Strickl. Volvocivora 80, 210, 271 sylvatica, Tick. Carpo- a naa : ay 424, sylvatica, Tick. ‘Cheetura, ... 202, 518 ——,,-— Jerd. Drymoica 395 Sylvia affinis, Blyth. 95, 219 —,,— althea, Hume. eee 60, 62 —,,— curruea, Lin. ee 95 —,,— jerdoni, Blyth. 84, 219 —,,— nana, A. & £. 63, 183 sylvicola, Jerd. Rae nis 35 Sypheotides auritus, Lath. 87, pe Syrnium indranee, Sykes. 94, —--,,--— aan Hodgs. 135 Syrnium ocellatum, Less. 75, 179, 200 —--,,*-— seloputo, Horsf. 44, 45 Syrrhaptes tibetanus, Gould. a 161, » 162, 425 Taccocva affinis, Blyth. 94, 208 Taccocua leschenaultii, Less. - a5 YEA CE Taccocua sirkee, Gray. ... 97 Tadorna cornuta, Gm... 188, 492 taigoor, Sykes. Turnix .,, 87, 226 taivanus, Swinh. Budytes 138 tamaricis, Tristr. Oap- rimulgus 506 ans 169 Tanagra jacarina, Zin. .., 518 Tantalus —_leucocephalus, Forst. : 491 Tantalus lencocephalus, Gm, 91,110, 113, 188, 231, 309, 467, 507 tarda, Zin. Otis tee 434 Techitrea paradisi, Zin. .., 113 teesa, Frank/. Butastur ... 94, 199 telmatophila, Hume. Ralli- na . 142, 451 Temenuchus | ‘malabaricus, Gimel. one 292 Temenuchus pagodarum, Gm. es 112, 113, 184 temmincki, Zeis?. Acto- dromas_... 305 temmincki, Leis/. Tringa 95, 228, 487 tenuirostris, Hodgs. Gyps 326 Tephrodornis _pondiceri- ana, Ginel. 80, 210, 270 Tephrodornis — sylvicola, Jerd. 35 tephronotus, Vig. Lanius "209, 267, 374 Terekia cinerea, Gm. 234, "yy — —-,,-— Gild. ... 486 terricolor, Hume. Tole . 141, 451 ——,,-— Hodgs. Malaco- cercus 108, 214, 262, 278, 385 Tetraogallus tibetanus, Gould 580 500 430 tetrax, Zin. Otis ae 435 Thamnobia cambaiensis, Lath a8 55, 112, 185, 457 Thamnobia cambaiensis, Linn. ze 216 Thamnobia fulicata, Lin. 83, 135, 216, 235, 457 threnodes, Cab. Cacoman- tis . 207, 265 Threskiornis melanocepha- lus, Zinn. ... see 231 thura, Bp. Propasser 459 tibetana, Hume. Chrysomi- tris 416 tibetanus, Gould. Syrrhap- tes 161, 162, 425 tibetanus, Gould. Tetrao- gallus aes 430 tibetanun, Hodgs. Crossop- tilon ne 426 tickelli, Bly. ‘Anorthinus 167 —-,,— —,— Cyornis 81, 212 —-5;-— —,,— Ocyceros ... 499 —-,-— —,— Pellorne- um ie 143 Timalia bengalensis, G.- Aust. ‘i 41, 234, 277 Timalia leucotis, Hodgs. .. 459 —"y7— pellotis, Hodgs. .., 41, 459 tinnuncula, Lin. Cerchneis 54, 3s 197, 242 tiphia, Zin, Agithina ,.,, 215 tiphia, Zin. Lora 215, 281 Tockus gingalensis, Shaw. 366 XXX Tockus griseus, Lath. ... 94 torquatus, Bodd. Paleornis 56, 78, 205 torqueola, Swin. Staphidea 144, 145 torquilla, Zinn. Yunx 78, 109, 206 torra, Buch. Ardea bes 467 —,,— Buch.Ham. Hero- dias nee 91, 230, 490 torringtoni, Kelaart. Palurabus ... ‘iol 424, Totanus calidris, Gmel. ... 304 SR Ieee TITS Se Lin. 67, 89, % 94, 488 —-,,— fuscus, Linn. 229, 488 —-,,-— glottis, Zim. ... 67, 89, 229, 304, 488 —-,,-— haughtoni, Armstr. 488 —-,-— hypoleucus, zn. 187 —-,,-— ochropus, Lin. ... 187, 303, 488 —-,,-— stagnatilis, Bechkst. 89, 488 tranquebarica, Herm, Tur- tur 900 86, 224, 297 tranquebarica, Mill. Turtur 186 Trichastoma abbotti, Blyth. 277 —-,,- leucoproctum, Tweed fe 318 tricolor, Hodgs. Siphia ok 376 tridactyla, Pali. Ceyx ... 95 Tringa alpina, Lin. v.. 228, 487 —,,-— minuta, Lezs?. .. 67, 89, 94, 97, 228, 299, 487, 497 -~,,-— ruficollis, Pail. . 228, 487 —,,-— subarquata, Giild. 89, 94, 487 —,,-— temmincki, Leis?.... 95, 228, 487 Tringoides hypoleucus, Zin. 488 tristis, Zin. Acridotheres 64, 84, 97, 221, 262, 290 —,— By. Phylloscopus 95, 130, 183, 218, 237 —,,-— Less. Rhopodytes... 207 trivialis, Lin. Anthus ... 186, 220, 288 trivirgatus, Reinw. Astur 197. Trochalopteron chrysop- ternum, Gould. tee 385 Trochalopteron erythroce- phalum, Vig. 385 Trochalopteron fairbanki, Blanf. . 33, 36 Trochalopteron jerdoni, Bly. 36 —, rufica- pillum, Bly. 385 Trochalopteron rufogulare, Gould. ... 155 Trochalopteron rufogu- laris, Gould. iste 153 Trochalopteron simile, Hume as ee 457 Trochalopteron _-variega- tum, Vig. .. 457 trochiloides, Sund. Phyl- loscopus ... 508 trochiloides, Sund. Regu- loides 128 trochilus, Lin. Phyllos- copus Fe 132, 527 turcomanus, Eversm. Bubo 348 Turdinus brevicaudatus, Bly. 462 —--,,--— crispifrons, Bly. 31 —=-,,--— garoénsis, G.-Aust. ... ue 143 Turdinus nagaensis, G. Aust. ie 143 Turdinus striatus, Wald... 462 —--,,--— williamsoni, God.- - Aust. a 600 462 Turnix dussumieri, Tem.,.. 87, 186, 226, 298 —-,,— joudera, Sykes... 226 —-,;— taigoor. Sykes ... 87, 226 —-,— cambayensis, Gm. 224, 463 —-,;— meena, Sykes ... 86, 224, 296 —-,,— risoria, Lin. .. 66, 86, 171, 224, 297 —-,— rupicolus, Pail. ... 95 —-,,— senegalensis, Lin. 66, 86, 463 —-,,— suratensis, Gmel. 39, 86, 224, 297 —-,,— tranquebarica, Herm. 86, 224, 297 Turtur tranquebarica, Mill. aids bid 186 typhia, Zzn. Iora aes 82 tytleri, Brooks. Phylloscopus 509 Umprinus, Hedend. Corvus 63, 113, 120, 527 unicolor, Bly. Cyornis ... 516 —---— Tick. Geocichla, 95, 213 unwini, Hume. Caprimul- gus } 6H 175 unwini, Hume. Cygnus 000 100 Upupa ‘ceylonensis, Reich- end. 43 517 Upupa epops, ‘Lin. 55, 79, 209, ae —-,,— longirostris, Jerd... —-,,— nigripennis, Gould. 79, ah; urbica, Lin. Chelidon ... 202 urica, Horsf. Merops ... 456 Urrua bengalensis, Frankl. 505 VALIDA, Blyth. Drymoica ... 395 Vanellus cristatus, Meyer. 186 variegatum, Vig. Trocha- lopteron _... 86 457 varius, Vahl. Hierococcyx 94, 2G XXX1 Venilia porphyromelas, Bote. 520 —-,,-— pyrrhotis, Bly. ... 520 ventralis, Cuv. Hoplop- terus Lowe 227, 300, 483 vereda, Gould, Agialitis... 438 vernalis, Sparrm. Loricu- lus Bs 94, 234, 368 vespertina, Zin. Cerchneis 332 veterum, Gmel. Porphyrio 8, 12, 14 vibrissa, Bodd. Palzornis 164 vigorsi, Sykes. Aithopyga... 79 vindhiana, Franki. Aquila 54, 74, 197 virgatus, Reimw. Accipiter 94 —--,,-— Tem. Accipiter... 197 virgo, Lin. Anthropoides .. 88 viridianus, Bly. Phyllosco- pus 95, 218, 286, 454, 508, 510 viridifrons, Blyth. Croco- pus eee “oc 135 viridipennis, Bly. Phyllos- copus 453 viridipennis, Blyth. Regu- loides 500 238 Viridirostris, Jerd. Rhopo- dytes -- 79,94, 195., 207 viridis, Bodd. Megalema ... 78 —-,— Lin. Merops 35, 54, 77, 208, 258 vitiensis, Peale. Porphyrio 10, 16 vittatus, Vig. Lanius 80, 108, 209 Volvocivora melaschistus, _Hodgs. . . 210, 271 Volvocivora sykesi, Strick. 80, 210, 271 vulgaris, ail. Cocco- thraustes ... 413 vulgaris, Steph. F rancolinus 225 —--,,— Leach. Merula ... 380 —--,,-— Flem. Otus bce 503 —--,,-— Linn. Sturnus ... 221 Vultur monachus, Lin, ... 321 WILLIAMSONI, God.-Aust. Turdinus .. one 463 wolfi, Brehm. Oyanecula .., 391 XANTHOOCHLOBRIS, Hodgs. Allotrius ,., 456 xanthoderus, Maih. Chry- sophlegma .. % 517 xanthogenys, Vig. Parus .. 405 Xantholema hemacephala, Bodd. sas 112 Xantholema heemacephala Mill. S60 40, 78, 206, 264 Xantholema malabarica, Blyth. se we. 94, 371 Xantholema rubricapilla, Brown. ... 371 xanthonotus, Blyth. Indicator .., is 372 xanthorhynchus, Horsf. Chrysococeyx ee 319 xanthoschistus, Hodgs. Abrornis ... “or 147 Xenorhynchus _asiaticus, Lath. .. 1, 67, 90, 94, 230 YEATMANI, Tristr. Se te 478 Yungipicus nanus, Vg. . Yunx indica, Gould. 459 —,,— torguilla, Linn. 78, 109, 206 ZEYLONENSIS, Gm. Galloper- dix S06 nas 453 zeylonica, Lin. Cinnyris ... 79, 267 ——,,--— --,,-- Leptocoma 208 —.,,--— Gm. Megalema 369 zeylonicas, Gm. Rallus ... 465 Zosterops auriventer, Hume. vee “6c 452 Zosterops ceylonensis, Holdsw. .. O00 404, Zosterops japonica, Til. ... 404 yr lateralis, TZem. 452 ——-,,--— palpebrosa, Tem, 84, 220, 403, 452 ——,,--— simplex, Swink. 403 FINIS. a Tae: Microformed by Preservation Services mfm #2270* i oa nee ae Hs i Mit al Me a ise si iil